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
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
One of the most unusual cases handled during his tenure was filed in April against 12 people accused of designing and running a decade-long scheme to fake out California’s smog check system for automobiles, Talbert said.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
Marner faked out Swayman and tucked the winner behind the goalie.
—Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fake out
Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
This opening fake out is a direct lift from the book.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
One of the most unusual cases handled during his tenure was filed in April against 12 people accused of designing and running a decade-long scheme to fake out California’s smog check system for automobiles, Talbert said.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
Marner faked out Swayman and tucked the winner behind the goalie.
—Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fake out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fake out
Verb
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Madeline is pissed that Riri brought that kind of energy into their sacred space and Ronnie is mad at Riri for tricking her into getting her there then embarrassing her in front of company.—
Stacia Brown,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
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Social engineering and phishing: Scammers trick users into giving away their contact information.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Last year, the Russians began including decoy drones with their Shahed drones to increase the likelihood of evading Ukrainian defenses.—
Vikram Mittal,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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Cochran drove in a manner that indicated to Taylor that the sheriff was trying to evade him, Welch said.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
28 June 2025
Verb
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While denim remains a primary component of global fashion at every price point, don’t let its ubiquity and casual vibe fool you.—
Simon Mainwaring,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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But don’t let its impressive storage space fool you — the case folds in on itself to create a compact roll that’s easy to stow in suitcases and handbags.—
Clara McMahon,
People.com,
28 June 2025
Verb
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Precisely because faking one’s age is as old as age verification, the only answer to the problems of online activity not matching the age of users is vigilant parents.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
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Kraft made a diving dig and subsequent kill to force match point then made one of the most athletic plays of the night with a jump set, faking going over on two, to set up Cannon with the put away.—
Tim Meehan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 June 2025
Verb
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The person is not trying to deceive or control, but the behavior still affects others and requires self awareness and growth to correct.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
27 June 2025
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Where was this sense of urgency when the mullahs were attempting to deceive U.N. inspectors while sandbagging U.S. efforts to diplomatically scuttle the country’s nuclear efforts?—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
21 June 2025
Verb
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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
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The staircase wound down, down, down, light provided by illumination globes strung along the walls.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
29 May 2025
Verb
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Canela, who her owner describes as a 'blackhole of love' always prepared to suck in affection, appeared to adore her special moment in the spotlight.—
Kelli Bender,
People.com,
3 June 2025
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These facilities suck in air and extract carbon using chemicals in a process powered by clean, geothermal energy.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fake out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake%20out. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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