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
Final Destination 2: The fire escape Another example of the franchise's excellent ability to fake out viewers happens during the death of Evan (David Paetkau).
—
Keith Langston, People.com, 18 May 2025
And there's at least one thing that felt designed specifically to fake out book-readers.
—ArsTechnica, 18 Apr. 2025
Marner faked out Swayman and tucked the winner behind the goalie.
—Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
This opening fake out is a direct lift from the book.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fake out
Keith Langston, People.com, 18 May 2025
And there's at least one thing that felt designed specifically to fake out book-readers.
—ArsTechnica, 18 Apr. 2025
Marner faked out Swayman and tucked the winner behind the goalie.
—Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
This opening fake out is a direct lift from the book.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fake out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fake out
Verb
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Now the abductees are required to trick others in turn.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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In the hacking campaigns Proofpoint analyzed, cybercriminals attempted to trick users into downloading and installing Stealerium as an attachment or a web link, luring victims with typical bait like a fake payment or invoice.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The discovery adds a new dimension to understanding cancer and therapy resistance, where cells often evade treatment by shifting states.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
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But Moscow has found ways to evade these.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Hurricanes explained by Ginger Zee Don't be fooled by the lack of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Basin.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
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After driving his team to the 1-yard line, Fields fooled the entire Steelers defense on a fourth down, faking a handoff and then high-stepping into the end zone untouched to take a 32-31 lead.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Psychological testing indicated that Brown was trying to fake symptoms of mental illness, Sutton said.—
Kevin Grasha,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ziva hid Tali from Tony initially and then faked her own death.—
Toni Fitzgerald,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Looks can be deceiving, Cali said.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
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There is some relief on the way, but do not be deceived.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Historic buildings are strung along a few blocks of divided Historic Route 66, a nice mix of eateries, saloons and shops.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Less than two hours after sunrise, with the shadows still blue and slanting hard in a dense growth of balsam firs and spruces, the baby bird blundered into a fine black net strung along the ridgeline of Mount Mansfield, at 4,393 feet Vermont’s tallest mountain.—
Madeline Bodin,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Julia thinks so too, and presses in, sucking in a breath when Ellen mentions Fairy Hill and how people dance into the nights and wake up a hundred years later.—
Lincee Ray Published,
EW.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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In this case, the device was able to suck in part of the worm's tail and drag it out—still squirming.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fake out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake%20out. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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