outsmart
verb
out·smart
ˌau̇t-ˈsmärt 
outsmarted; outsmarting; outsmarts
: to get the better of
especially
: outwit
Synonyms
Examples of outsmart in a Sentence
The government must gather large amounts of information in order to outsmart its enemies.
an inexpensive security system that would likely be outsmarted by anyone with a serious interest in circumventing it
Recent Examples on the Web
The scale and persistence of their attacks are headaches for American technology giants like X, Microsoft and Apple, which are now locked in a constant race to outsmart the hackers.
—
Aaron Schaffer, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
Matt LaFleur outsmarted McCarthy, Quinn and everyone on Dallas’ sideline.
—Rob Maaddi, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024
From top down, what country will let itself be outsmarted by another?
—Clem Chambers, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
The character is at once a vision of strength, demonstrating her superiority by outsmarting the men around her, and the punchline of some of the film’s crudest humor.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2024
Police believed the perpetrators were the yakuza, who were irked by Itami’s portrayal of them as witless bullies outsmarted by a cunning attorney (played by Itami’s actress wife Nobuko Miyamoto, who starred in all of his films) in Minbo.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2023
Two weeks before his scheduled execution, the outlaw outsmarted the law.
—Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 23 Nov. 2023
The screenwriting duo combine the slapstick comedy of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplain with the zany antics of Road Runner and Bugs Bunny cartoons in a 19th-century cracked fable about a cider entrepreneur turned furrier trying to outsmart a pack of much brighter beavers and rabbits.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024
This is wood in its most balanced state—overcoming obstacles with flexibility, outsmarting challenges with cleverness, and pushing through with sheer determination.
—Leila Milgrim, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2024
Aaron Schaffer, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
Matt LaFleur outsmarted McCarthy, Quinn and everyone on Dallas’ sideline.
—Rob Maaddi, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024
From top down, what country will let itself be outsmarted by another?
—Clem Chambers, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
The character is at once a vision of strength, demonstrating her superiority by outsmarting the men around her, and the punchline of some of the film’s crudest humor.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2024
Police believed the perpetrators were the yakuza, who were irked by Itami’s portrayal of them as witless bullies outsmarted by a cunning attorney (played by Itami’s actress wife Nobuko Miyamoto, who starred in all of his films) in Minbo.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2023
Two weeks before his scheduled execution, the outlaw outsmarted the law.
—Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 23 Nov. 2023
The screenwriting duo combine the slapstick comedy of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplain with the zany antics of Road Runner and Bugs Bunny cartoons in a 19th-century cracked fable about a cider entrepreneur turned furrier trying to outsmart a pack of much brighter beavers and rabbits.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024
This is wood in its most balanced state—overcoming obstacles with flexibility, outsmarting challenges with cleverness, and pushing through with sheer determination.
—Leila Milgrim, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outsmart.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1924, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near outsmart
Cite this Entry
“Outsmart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outsmart. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
outsmart
verb
out·smart
(ˈ)au̇t-ˈsmärt
: outwit
More from Merriam-Webster on outsmart
Britannica English: Translation of outsmart for Arabic Speakers
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