1
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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Recent Examples of fake out
Great fake out by the production team as Savannah then surprised everyone (and maybe even herself) by winning.
—
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Dec. 2025
Among the highlights was Dart taking off in the first quarter, faking out several Eagles defenders, and running to the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Old Dominion started fast, with quarterback Colton Joseph faking out the Hoosiers defense on the first offensive play of the game and sprinting 75 yards for a touchdown.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
The plan is to fake out territorial wasps who will avoid an area where other wasps already reside.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fake out
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Dec. 2025
Among the highlights was Dart taking off in the first quarter, faking out several Eagles defenders, and running to the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Old Dominion started fast, with quarterback Colton Joseph faking out the Hoosiers defense on the first offensive play of the game and sprinting 75 yards for a touchdown.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
The plan is to fake out territorial wasps who will avoid an area where other wasps already reside.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fake out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fake out
Verb
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Deed theft is when a scammer steals someone's home, often by forging documents or tricking someone into signing over a deed.—
Tim McNicholas,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
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But ShinyHunters has been known to use English-language phone calls and impersonation to trick victims, or what’s known as voice phishing.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Kelsy dispossessed San Diego in its defensive third, cut back to evade a defender at the edge of the penalty area, and skipped a shot inside the near post to give the Timbers (3-5-1) a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
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Garcia sprinted off exiting through a side entrance and evaded authorities until cops nabbed him on March 25, 2026.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Lauren Weisberger published the novel in 2003 after serving as Anna Wintour's personal assistant at Vogue for a year, and the roman à clef fooled no one—least of all anyone who'd ever ridden the elevator at 4 Times Square and emerged spiritually altered.—
Paul Jebara,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
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The Angels weren’t fooled by his cutter and slurve.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Kennard faked a shot and whipped a pass back to James.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Prosecutors accused Saladino of faking an invoice to boost revenues and earnings, according to documents seen by Bloomberg.—
Luca Casiraghi,
Bloomberg,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This intent to deceive constituents has been obvious since February.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Rashid deceived Padikkal with a perfect googly while Kohli dragged jason Holder’s slower ball onto his stumps.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Toronto’s goal is to string along offenses late into possessions, when the Raptors don’t have time to run second actions or create open shots.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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Above them, flags from Latin American countries are strung along the ceiling.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Defenders will be sucked in from the perimeter.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
18 Apr. 2026
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In the new footage, shown during Disney’s presentation on Thursday, Bonnie is gifted Lilypad and immediately gets sucked in, spending all her hours on it day and night, as the toys anxiously look on.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fake out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake%20out. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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