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
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
Instead, Baty double-clutched as if trying to fake out Smith.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 6 June 2025
Near the end of the run, Fiske made a terrific move to fake out a would-be tackler.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fake out
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
Instead, Baty double-clutched as if trying to fake out Smith.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 6 June 2025
Near the end of the run, Fiske made a terrific move to fake out a would-be tackler.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fake out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fake out
Verb
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The Dolphins have wasted years trying to trick tomorrow like that.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
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Already, scammers use audio and video deepfakes to trick individuals into giving them money, passwords, or other data, and the next step is to move beyond individuals and on to businesses, where the potential payouts are much, much larger.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Deputies tried to pull the driver over, but the driver instead chose to flee, and during the chase, the driver allegedly turned his headlights off to try and evade deputies, the sheriff's office said.—
Jose Fabian,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
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About half of China’s oil imports must traverse the strait, and 90% of Iran’s oil supply ends up in China, often via third countries to evade sanctions.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Trump proves experts got fooled again.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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The quick shot that fooled Wallstedt was MacKinnon’s NHL-leading 43rd of the season.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Hawks worked the ball up court and got it to Webb who fake a drive to make some space and then drilled a three with 10 seconds left to retake the lead.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Mar. 2026
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But now, generative AI has made the ability to fake images and videos easier than ever before.—
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Defamation, which refers to a false statement of fact that is reputationally damaging, and false light, which is a technically true statement but is presented in a highly deceiving fashion, are other possible legal actions.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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Looks, too, can be deceiving for those not on the grounds.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This jukebox musical strings along Neil Diamond’s chart-topping songbook to tell the story of the singer/composer’s journey from Brooklyn boy to iconic hitmaker.—
Rod Stafford Hagwood,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2026
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Mario Campos would build and work on houses well into his 70s, including a string along SW 25th Street in Miami that belonged to his extended family.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The quagmire has sucked in hundreds of thousands of service members on both sides.—
Kevin Shalvey,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
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Lauren, who might also have been Catholic, sucked in her breath.—
Nell Freudenberger,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fake out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake%20out. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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