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
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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And those three will still have to outwit the likes of Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon and Chris Bailey, who have proven themselves on the qualifying stage.—
Cory Mull,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Verb
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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
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This solution also outsmarted existing industry tools like Gurobi on large-scale delivery simulations.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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
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Errani and Vavassori outmaneuvered the Top 5 singles players.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Marable then came up with a fumble recovery to thwart a Red Oak drive as the Cougars trailed 20-18 at intermission.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
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In Greenberg’s novel, Cherry and Hero are already secret lovers who conspire to thwart the menfolk’s machinations.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Looks can be deceiving, Cali said.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
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There is some relief on the way, but do not be deceived.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Colleyville Heritage defeated Richland 30-21 in a game halted early in the third quarter after a second lightning delay Friday at Mustang-Panther Stadium.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
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Dryden also represented his country several times, most notably helping Team Canada defeat the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Outperforming some of them on the pitch is one thing, but Newcastle cannot yet overcome the off-field strength of the ‘Big Six’.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
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Part of the presentation focused on helping people overcome their fear of being ostracized for having plants seen as too wild.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Raines has a USDA license to exhibit and sell foxes, but does the latter only to fox sanctuaries, or people who have track records owning foxes, preferably with a license similar to hers.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
3 May 2017
Cite this Entry
“Outfox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outfox. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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