Overtrump

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To surpass another person in terms of influence or control
2. To play a trump card that is higher in rank than one previously played in a card game
3. To beat or outdo an opponent's trump card by playing a more powerful one in cards

Etymology: "Overtrump" is a plain compound: the prefix "over-" joined to "trump," the card-game term. In trick-taking games, a trump is a card from a designated suit that beats the other suits, so to trump a card is to play a higher trump on top of it. Adding "over-" intensifies the action, meaning to play a trump that outranks the one already on the table. The prefix does the same work in many English verbs, such as "overcome" or "overbid," where it signals going beyond what came before. Here it turns a simple act of winning a trick into a bidding-style escalation of trumps, which is why the word fits so neatly with the card-game sense it describes.

Synonyms: outbid, outdo

Antonyms: underrate, underbid