1
as in deceiving
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 evading
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
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Recent Examples of faking out
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
Among the highlights was Dart taking off in the first quarter, faking out several Eagles defenders, and running to the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Old Dominion started fast, with quarterback Colton Joseph faking out the Hoosiers defense on the first offensive play of the game and sprinting 75 yards for a touchdown.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026
Among the highlights was Dart taking off in the first quarter, faking out several Eagles defenders, and running to the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Old Dominion started fast, with quarterback Colton Joseph faking out the Hoosiers defense on the first offensive play of the game and sprinting 75 yards for a touchdown.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faking out
Verb
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But O’Malley writes that this is deceiving.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 June 2026
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Stop deceiving yourself into the comfort that learning AI skills and tools alone will save you.—
Rachel Wells,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Daniels later pleaded no contest to evading a police officer, court records show, in a deal that saw prosecutors dismiss numerous other charges, including second degree burglary of a vehicle and four counts of assault on a police officer.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
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In the latter case, forgetting can become a tool for evading accountability.—
Victoria Marshall,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2026
Verb
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North Korea has supplied troops to Russia which has also been accused of tricking citizens of other countries such as India to fight.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Nov. 2025
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Candidates are looking to cut through the noise by tricking AI filters, while recruiters are drowning in a flood of applications, and companies are posting ghost jobs.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
18 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This feels like a hesi-pull in a game of basketball, fooling your opponent into thinking the offensive player is driving to the hoop.—
Kenneth Okeke,
Hartford Courant,
8 May 2026
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After killing Minnesota’s first power play, the Avalanche opened the scoring when defenseman Sam Malinski scored his first career playoff goal, fooling Wallstedt with a rising wrist shot.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Takaichi, alternatively, appeared surprised in the moment, quietly sucking in her breath and crossing her arms.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
19 Mar. 2026
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However, while there may be no blood sucking in this particular novel, that doesn’t mean that the adaptation doesn’t have Rice’s trademark sensuality.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The president had more harsh words for Putin on Monday, accusing him of stringing along multiple American administrations and failing to be serious about ending the war in Ukraine, which is now in its third year.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Lie flat on your back and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Dec. 2025
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Carlyle now has eight retail strategies, taking in about $3 billion every three months today, up from about $300 million when Schwartz became CEO in 2023.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The connection to nature at Vista Celestial is truly profound, with wildlife waiting for you at the door—I'm not kidding, at one point, a capuchin monkey walked onto our patio to say hello.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
8 June 2026
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And even while kidding, Kupp couldn’t help but say out loud what many Rams followers are thinking.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Faking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faking%20out. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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