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
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
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
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
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
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
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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Wiles barely could make the tight final left-hand turn that had tricked Monsen.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
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After all, seeing people who aren’t there is a common crutch for TV shows that want to trick their audience, bring back a fan-favorite character, or both.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Platforms evade responsibility by invoking Section 230 and the language of free speech, while in practice exercising enormous editorial power over what the public sees, believes and reacts to.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
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Williams has multiple past felony charges, including drug charges, evading arrest, and evidence tampering.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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To fool us into doubting our most obvious conclusions about how this story will unfold.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
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Don’t be fooled by the small bowl either.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some direct victims to fake IRS login pages designed to steal credentials.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
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In the hope of righting the wrong of helping Roper fake his death, Angela has also cornered Mayra (Indira Varma), the MI-6 chief who is in cahoots with Roper.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Although appearances can be deceiving.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
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Ah, but appearances can be deceiving.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Christmas lights glow above, strung along the streetlamps, incongruous against the heavy security presence that dominates the scene.—
Keir Simmons,
NBC news,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Lauren, who might also have been Catholic, sucked in her breath.—
Nell Freudenberger,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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When its minuscule trigger hairs are touched, the trapdoor flips open, and the tiny victim is sucked in along with water in milliseconds before the door closes again.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fake out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake%20out. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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