as in to outwit
to get the better of through cleverness
the prisoners outfoxed the guards by tunneling beneath the prison walls
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of outfox
The target, thinking himself clever, buys and introduces the cards into the game, unwittingly outfoxed.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
In motorsport, Minis used their agility to outfox more powerful rivals, but here the engine no longer feels like a supporting act.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 30 July 2025
In the most iconic scene, he gets outfoxed on the subway by the French drug lord on a subway, playing cat-and-mouse on the platform.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2025
The most challenging part of a campaign for Crimea may not be outfoxing Russia.
—Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Foreign Affairs, 2 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for outfox
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
In motorsport, Minis used their agility to outfox more powerful rivals, but here the engine no longer feels like a supporting act.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 30 July 2025
In the most iconic scene, he gets outfoxed on the subway by the French drug lord on a subway, playing cat-and-mouse on the platform.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2025
The most challenging part of a campaign for Crimea may not be outfoxing Russia.
—Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Foreign Affairs, 2 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for outfox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outfox
Verb
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Ben Shapiro, Pete Buttigieg, Michael Knowles, Alex O’Connor—these are professional debaters capable of outwitting and outreasoning almost any audience member unfamiliar with traditional debate techniques, regardless of the topic or claim being considered.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
8 Aug. 2025
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The irony was that the filmmaking team did this by going small: the third act of that 2013 movie as newly penned by Damon Lindelof and Drew Goddard famously featured a much quieter and more intimate ending in which Pitt walks carefully to outwit a single zombie.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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His edge is not in timing the market or outsmarting high-frequency traders.—
Robert Daugherty,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Screenshots from a June 20 TikTok video of an owner trying to outsmart his German shepherd when giving her a piece of popcorn.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Flat, flexible teams outmaneuver rigid command chains.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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The encounter took place less than two weeks after a confrontation at another South China Sea hot spot—Scarborough Shoal—that saw a Chinese navy destroyer and a China coast guard ship collide after being outmaneuvered by a smaller Philippine coast guard cutter.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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One miscue was a fumble into the end zone from the two-yard line, which thwarted a long drive late in the third quarter.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Sep. 2025
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The Kansas City Royals arrived in Philadelphia looking to thwart the red-hot Phillies and keep alive their slim playoff hopes.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This requires honesty, particularly self-honesty, as leaders can deceive themselves with what seems like progress.—
Dmitry Malin,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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The band’s attorneys said that consumers could be easily deceived by the products allegedly sold on the marketplace, which could, in turn, cause reputational damage for Twenty One Pilots and its legitimate products.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 2023-24, Jones had a career year for the Mavericks, who were defeated by the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Some decisions are prudent, such as the Las Vegas Raiders to defeat the New England Patriots at a nice underdog price.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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How Wi-Fi HaLow Can Help Address These Needs To overcome connectivity gaps in large-scale environmental monitoring, some researchers and technologists are turning to Wi-Fi HaLow.—
Michael De Nil,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The movie adaptation is also rife with metaphors about boys becoming men and overcoming life-or-death circumstances to make it out the other side.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Having a robotic bear, rabbit, chicken or fox the size of a refrigerator coming after you in the dark was truly terrifying.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
5 Sep. 2025
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The speech also tackled an issue that has foxed previous governments: reforming the House of Lords.—
Jill Lawless,
The Christian Science Monitor,
17 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Outfox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outfox. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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