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

Relevance

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 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
  1. trick
  2. evade
  3. fool
  4. fake
  5. deceive
  6. string along
  7. suck in
Verb
  • Lord Ormund’s Gambit Lord Ormund has many, many tricks up his green sleeves.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, there has been a slew of viral videos on TikTok and other social media platforms in which users allegedly show how to trick the monitoring systems for the exam.
    — Mauricio Torres, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of trick
Verb
  • Officials say that has made cross-border cooperation increasingly important, as criminal groups frequently move people and goods across neighboring countries to evade law enforcement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Not long afterward, the group heard drones in the sky and started moving again, perhaps to evade capture by the military.
    — Alexis Okeowo, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of evade
Verb
  • Do not be fooled by icing that maybe has a little bit of cream cheese in it.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • At the Black Hat security conference, one researcher demonstrated a way to fool current facial recognition models with a little help from the fashion world.
    — Kim Key, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of fool
Verb
  • Parmar says the production initially considered faking the conditions before abandoning the idea entirely.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Prosecutors argue that Clancy made a calculated decision to commit the murders and then faked a suicide attempt.
    — Kristina Rex, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of fake
Verb
  • That March, Stewart was convicted of conspiring with her Merrill Lynch stockbroker, Peter Bacanovic, to deceive authorities probing her December 2001 sale of the ImClone stock.
    — Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The task force suggests that altering the physical environment, such as putting up nets, barriers to force drones into different flight paths, and making one’s surroundings appear uninteresting from the air can deceive drones.
    — Zita Ballinger Fletcher, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of deceive
Verb
  • Clients appreciate getting a clear answer instead of being strung along.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 29 July 2026
  • The small fragments of colorful glass, strung along together, produce soothing sounds, their tinkling notes wafting through the air alongside a chorus of windchimes and the sweet scent of plumeria blooming in the garden.
    — Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2026
Definition of string along
Verb
  • As the trawler floated around Lake Jesup, the hose sucked in thousands of gallons of the murky beige-and-green water, and siphoned it into a holding tank.
    — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
  • The homeowners also patched the roof of their house before rain fell that evening — a crucial step because the fragile meteor is porous and sucks in water from the air, Jenniskens said.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of suck in

Browse Nearby Words

faked out
fake out
faker
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nurture

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All