FAKE OUT Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

fake out

verb

Definition of fake out

as in to trick

to cause to believe what is untrue my friends faked me out for a whole day, letting me think that they had forgotten my birthday

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to evade

to elude (an opponent in a sports contest) by making a deceptive or agile movement used a quick between-the-legs dribble to fake out the flat-footed defender

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fake out Asked about the fake out, Mara grinned. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026 After the match, Kidd and Finlay, along with Clark Connors, attack Cassidy and Allin until Roderick Strong walks down to the ring, fakes out The Dogs and helps Cassidy and Allin get retribution. — Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 12 Mar. 2026 In the 80th minute, Denkey received an assist from Ender Echenique, faking out goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos before finishing with his left foot between a pair of defenders. — ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026 Drake preferred to fake out a defender and run right by them. — Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fake out

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fake out

Verb

Twenty-one players, two tribes — there’s still tricks up host Jeff Probst’s sleeve.

— Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
An impersonator may have tricked a Las Vegas nightclub last year, but those at the park Tuesday appeared convinced of their brush with Bieber.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of trick

Verb

But when the canal turns out to be the site of illicit Russian mafia activities, Irwin becomes a witness and must evade the mob and its threats to his family while relying on his partner and former cop brother to help get him out of trouble.

— Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
On the 16-yard pass to wide receiver Rashee Rice, Mahomes evaded a pass rusher, waited and stepped up in the pocket before completing a throw.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of evade

Verb

On a first-and-goal play from the 6-yard line, Williams faked a handoff and wheeled around to his left.

— Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
Smith, the shortest player in the FBS at 5-foot-5, fielded the ball at the 2 near the left sideline, faked a reverse handoff near the 10 before changing direction and blew past Cincinnati’s kick coverage team up the right sideline.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of fake

Verb

Trump dismisses warnings Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and SpaceXAI’s Elon Musk have all called for greater government oversight of the industry after a series of hacks revealed AI agents conspiring to deceive humans.

— Jill Colvin, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
The Bucs couldn’t ask for a better bounce-back opponent after dropping their opener in Cincy, a somewhat deceiving result because of all the Baker Mayfield turnovers.

— Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of deceive

Verb

For one thing, the aircraft was an all-electric number powered by a dozen electric motors strung along the leading edge of the wing.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
But by Taiwan’s next presidential election in 2028, 12 years will have passed since that strategy was last tested—and the gamble is whether Xi can still be strung along.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of string along

Browse Nearby Words

faked out

fake out

faker

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fake out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake%20out. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fake out

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

bellwether

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes