outsmarting

verb

present participle of outsmart
as in outwitting
to get the better of through cleverness an inexpensive security system that would likely be outsmarted by anyone with a serious interest in circumventing it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 outsmarting The problem, according to Hinton, is that humans will no longer be able to rely on outsmarting super-intelligent AI models. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 The Fan, the season-long unsub obsessed with one-upping and outsmarting his idol. — Joyce Eng, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026 Selecting a college major is not an exercise in outsmarting the admissions system. — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Mosquitoes just might be outsmarting us Mosquitoes may be beating us at our own game − by making repellent attractive. — Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 13 June 2026 Not for the faint-hearted, but catnip for that certain type who’s made a fortune by outsmarting competing hedge fund managers or private equity firms. — Andrés Martinez, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026 There’s no outsmarting capitalism. — Kyle Cheromcha, The Drive, 1 Apr. 2026 These clips often use humor and pop‑culture aesthetics—even LEGO‑style animations—to show Iran’s late supreme leader outsmarting and humiliating his American adversaries. — Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 Predicting mosquito behavior is a first step toward outsmarting them. — David Hu, The Conversation, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outsmarting
  1. outwitting
  2. defeating
  3. deceiving
  4. thwarting
  5. outmaneuvering
  6. overcoming
  7. fooling
  8. outfoxing
Verb
  • Similar storm-clouds are now gathering around Sánchez, a canny politician known for outwitting his opponents.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
  • Bob Markle was good at outwitting violators.
    — Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of outwitting
Verb
  • The Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon really lived up to their nickname, defeating Malawi 3-0 with all three goals coming in the first half.
    — Emily Olsen, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Moody was elected the state's attorney general twice, defeating her Democratic challenger in 2022 by more than 20 points.
    — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of defeating
Verb
  • Paul has long accused Fauci of deceiving Americans about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 29 July 2026
  • The ensuing investigation ultimately revealed that Angela had framed Hadley and uncovered evidence of her long history of deceiving people to gain sympathy.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026
Definition of deceiving
Verb
  • The potential signing has divided Barça fans, weighing midfield depth and Rodri's age against acquiring an elite World Cup winner and thwarting rivals.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Some blame the Big Ten and SEC for thwarting the legislation.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of thwarting
Verb
  • May built one of the most dominant teams in Big Ten history by outmaneuvering his peers in the transfer portal.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 30 June 2026
  • Two generals agreed with Ashley's characterization, stressing the view that on the front lines, Ukraine was outmaneuvering Russia.
    — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 9 June 2026
Definition of outmaneuvering
Verb
  • Despite ongoing hurdles around interconnection queues and grid congestion, the scale of deployment shows developers are overcoming technical and regulatory barriers to support rising electricity demand from data centers and electrification.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Lorne Balfe From overcoming dyslexia with early synths to navigating AI, remote recording, and spatial audio, the blockbuster composer reveals how technology shapes his scores.
    — Benny Har-Even, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • Throughout all the commotion, Romelu Lukaku acted as decoy, holding on to the ball, fooling everyone, including the TV producer, who pulled up a graphic showing his recent penalty record.
    — Geir Jordet, New York Times, 15 July 2026
  • Speaking on Harvard Business School’s The Founder Mindset podcast, hosted by senior lecturer and serial entrepreneur Reza Satchu, the Shark Tank investor argued that anyone trying to balance a young company against the rest of their life is fooling themselves.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 June 2026
Definition of fooling
Verb
  • Both candidates attempted to court voters by outfoxing each other in their support of the then-former president and the race became increasingly negative.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of outfoxing

Browse Nearby Words

outsmarted
outsmarting
outsmarts
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Cite this Entry

“Outsmarting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outsmarting. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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