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
Watching the audience involvement with each fake out before the inevitable death is part of the fun, and something Brener says is the franchise that made him as an executive fall in love with audience testing.
—
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
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
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
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
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
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
-
Maybe not that play exactly, just the fact USC would try to trick Notre Dame because the Trojans weren’t going to beat them conventionally.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Poor Rosemary is tricked by those closest to her through what is quite literally a hellish pregnancy, culminating in an unforgettable ending and an enduring performance from a wide-eyed Farrow.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Simmons added that the play would’ve worked in the game except that Stone had to evade a defender, and that caused Jenkins to briefly stop.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
-
First Ascents in South Korea Chouinard reportedly drank an entire bottle of soy sauce in an effort to spike his blood pressure and evade a draft for the Korean War.—
Maya Silver,
Outside,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As Rolling Stone has previously reported, bogus images of classic rockers in hospitals or singing at the graves of other rockers have flooded the internet — fooling some fans in the process and provoking laughs in just as many.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Ultimately, the quarterback fooled the Raiders and proceeded to take the snap and get the Chiefs a first down.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Fightful reports rumors that Rollins faking an injury aren't true.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Rossi skated in from the right, faked a move, then fired a wrist shot top shelf.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Despite being deceived, Stone, who dated Garfield for four years, conceded that the actor's dedication to the secret was honorable.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
-
That’s 14 years of dreaming, dissolving, romanticizing, escaping, and sometimes deceiving ourselves.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Hundreds of baskets holding young oysters called spat are strung along a line that floats on the surface and sways like a long black snake in the water.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
-
One mobile, a cluster of white leaf shapes strung along long horizontal arcs, has the aloof grace of an albino peacock, turning with a gavotte rhythm.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Things are going to suck in life.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Then the shirt comes off and the stomach is sucked in.—
David Kamp,
New Yorker,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fake out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake%20out. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share