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
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Recent Examples of outfox
No doubt remained that I’d been outfoxed.
—
Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 21 Aug. 2025
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
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
Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 21 Aug. 2025
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
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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Probst, who grew up in the Seattle area and started his career here, is synonymous with the show that’s outlasted (and outwitted, and outplayed) any TV counterpart.—
Paige Cornwell,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
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Millions watched this new kind of reality TV competition show in the summer of 2000 to see players try to outwit, outplay and outlast each other while at the same time trying to survive.—
Christopher Kuhagen,
jsonline.com,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He gets outsmarted by Forst and trapped in a symbiotic relationship where has to work for the world’s worst man to see his discovery come to fruition.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
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TikToks promising secret loopholes, Reddit threads dissecting deductions and content creators insisting ways to outsmart the IRS.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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America’s Culinary Cup almost forces its competitors to lean on social engineering or industry gossip to outmaneuver each other, and that’s fascinating.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
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As their bold production takes shape, a rival white theatre mounts its own Richard III just blocks away, threatening to undermine, overshadow, and outmaneuver them.—
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In Florida, more government agencies are thwarting the public’s right to know, including attempts to hide the details behind Alligator Alcatraz.—
David Cuillier,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2026
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Off a bad change by the B’s, Timo Meier broke in alone but Korpisalo thwarted his first shot and just managed to get his pad down to smother Meier’s follow-up.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nope, that's not your eyes deceiving you.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
15 Mar. 2026
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Months after the girl had died, a DCF worker investigating a complaint related to Torres-García’s younger sister was deceived by the children’s mother during a video chat with a person the child’s mother asked to impersonate the child, according to the agency.—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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We can be either defeated or motivated.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
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The Magic also won on Thursday, defeating the Wizards in overtime for their sixth straight victory.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Hornets overcame foul trouble and a big free-throw discrepancy to win Tuesday.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
18 Mar. 2026
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Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Outfox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outfox. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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