outfox

verb

ˌau̇t-ˈfäks How to pronounce outfox (audio)
Definition of outfoxnext
as in to outwit
to get the better of through cleverness the prisoners outfoxed the guards by tunneling beneath the prison walls

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 outfox But even foxes can outfox themselves by their own designs. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 20 Jan. 2026 Los Angeles had already outfoxed the 49ers in 2021 by trading for Matthew Stafford, who was also on Shanahan’s radar. — Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 2 Oct. 2025 No doubt remained that I’d been outfoxed. — Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 21 Aug. 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
  1. outwit
  2. outsmart
  3. outmaneuver
  4. thwart
  5. deceive
  6. defeat
  7. overcome
  8. fox
Verb
  • All season long, Ray and Sugar have been trying to outwit each other.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2026
  • To say that Cucurella was pleased, when the Spanish side outwitted the French in the semifinal, would be an understatement.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Definition of outwit
Verb
  • But, at the same time, the car’s computing system that controls electrical deployment is trying to outsmart them.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • At a certain point, people won’t be able to outsmart advanced AI anymore; this is not just another opinion.
    — Tim Bajarin, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of outsmart
Verb
  • The characters' abilities are built around outmaneuvering, not outgunning.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • For more than a decade, India’s leader Narendra Modi has seemed politically unassailable, presiding over a government that has outmaneuvered opponents, dominated public discourse and squeezed the space for dissent in the world’s biggest democracy.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
Definition of outmaneuver
Verb
  • In the footage, players follow the story of Jason and Lucia, a couple living in the fictional Vice City, who are picking up drugs, and their mission is thwarted by the police, who begin to raid the place.
    — Moises Mendez II, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Ortiz vowed to interrogate and, if necessary, kill any traitors who thwarted him and Simon.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of thwart
Verb
  • Your eyes aren't deceiving you — the little delivery robots rolling down Washington DC streets are becoming a more common sight.
    — Mike Stunson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Jury Duty has managed to deceive two unsuspecting do-gooders with civic duty and a company retreat.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of deceive
Verb
  • Steph Talbot scored 19 points as Australia defeated Puerto Rico 70-54 to get its campaign off to a winning start.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The Leipzig scenes are both ephemeral and integral; later, Taro will speculate that if the Germans had had the same revolutionary zeal as the Spanish, Hitler might have been defeated.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of defeat
Verb
  • Augusto, Marrero, Hernández and countless others have little choice but to figure things out which, in Cuban parlance, means overcoming whatever obstacle is placed in their way.
    — Juan Carlos López, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
  • McKee, 75, will also have to overcome simmering anger over a bridge repair project that has dragged on longer than expected.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of overcome
Verb
  • Aged glass can develop dark spots and edge deterioration known as foxing.
    — Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 14 Aug. 2026
  • That will require out-foxing Patriots defensive play-caller Zak Kuhr, whose pressure game plans suffocated the Chargers and Texans the past two weeks.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of fox

Browse Nearby Words

outfought
outfox
outfoxed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Outfox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outfox. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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