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
Relevance
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
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 target, thinking himself clever, buys and introduces the cards into the game, unwittingly outfoxed.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 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
Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 2 Oct. 2025
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
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
-
The Bed Rot Challenge is a new reality competition web series in which stars from Survivor, The Traitors, Love Island USA, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, The Bachelorette, and Beast Games will attempt to outwit and outlast each other… on a bed.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 May 2026
-
Towering over the town is another, much bigger, Venetian fort, the Palamidhi (named after Palamedes, Nafplio’s legendarily clever local hero, who outwitted Odysseus and, well, didn’t live long enough to regret it).—
Helen Brown,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sunday outsmarted Adam and Hannah with a ruse at Tribal Council.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
-
The goal isn’t to outsmart wildfire season.—
Ryan Brennan
May 19,
Kansas City Star,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
But in the case of the stork, the bird saw the drone and outmaneuvered it.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
The auteur can now cross another genre off his bucket list with The Samurai and the Prisoner (Kokurojo), a stately and rather stagy historical mystery set during the 16th century, at a time when warring clans fought and outmaneuvered each other for control of the land.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
Toward the end of the season, Deborah’s grand MSG show is thwarted by her nemesis Bob Lipka (Tony Goldwyn) who bought out all the tickets to the show, leaving her with an empty stadium.—
Alexandra Jhamb Burns,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
-
But the administration says the status quo allows rank-and-file federal employees to thwart the president's agenda.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said during a news conference that the company suppressed internal safety warnings and deceived users about the true nature and dangers of the product.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
-
Yet while Hiller has been seemingly everywhere on TV lately, appearances in this industry can be deceiving.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
The food, beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, and agribusiness lobbies do not need to defeat MAHA in public debate.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
But environmentalists and other stakeholders said giving too many concessions to fossil fuel interests would defeat the program’s purpose, which is to drive down emissions along a pathway consistent with what scientists say could preserve a recognizable climate.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Everyone has a personal obstacle, but not everyone can overcome and survive those obstacles.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
-
Over time, however, your pancreas may no longer be able to produce enough insulin to overcome insulin resistance.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
