fake out

verb

Definition of fake outnext
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

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 There was one instance where journeyman Micah Potter faked out Kel’el Ware and drove for a thunderous dunk. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for fake out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fake out
  1. trick
  2. evade
  3. fool
  4. fake
  5. deceive
  6. string along
  7. suck in
Verb
  • Vision is still frustrated and furious over the ways Ultron tricked and used him, but yelling at an opponent that won’t get riled in return isn’t satisfying.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Mulching too early in fall can trap warmth that tricks the plants into sending out new growth, but mulching after the ground has frozen won’t properly insulate roots.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of trick
Verb
  • Hill then apparently fled into the woods, firing off more shots, before he was later picked up, trying to bum a ride and evade police.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Carrying only a firearm that Todd left in the car’s glove compartment, Fang enlists the help of Tanker and Munch, as well as the Shelby’s AI assistant Helene (Stella Stocker), in order to locate fuel and supplies and evade the police.
    — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of evade
Verb
  • The Pleiades open star cluster Don't be fooled by their beauty; the blue-white stars of the Pleiades are dripping in spooky lore.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Chiefs-Seahawks game prediction Don’t be fooled be the records.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of fool
Verb
  • This skincare-forward, creamy formula neutralizes my purple-blue under-eye shadows, faking far more hours slept.
    — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 3 Nov. 2026
  • That level of detail is what makes a modern invite harder to fake and gives guests the confidence to say 'yes' without second-guessing.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of fake
Verb
  • But don’t be deceived, these are not primarily poems of the body, though the animal body–the dog, the human, meat– return throughout.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The first rule of thumb—and a solid piece of advice to live by—is that looks can be deceiving.
    — Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 1 Nov. 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
Verb
  • Once the machine has sucked in the shade-giving limbs and age-ringed trunk, a new development rises from the mulch.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026
  • One high-energy neutrino came from a blazar – a supermassive black hole sucking in matter from its host galaxy and spewing some of it into a jet thousands of light-years long and pointed straight at Earth.
    — Tyce DeYoung, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of suck in

Browse Nearby Words

faked out
fake out
faker
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Cite this Entry

“Fake out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake%20out. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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