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
Japan, outfoxed by the stealthy maneuverer in the White House, had to recede.
—
Robert W. Merry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
The governor’s better posture would be to concentrate on outmaneuvering and outfoxing Trump.
—David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
Situated in one of the game's smallest media markets, the Padres under General Manager A.J. Preller have spent lavishly and made a series of splashy acquisitions, but keep getting outfoxed by their upstate rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
—David Faris, theweek, 5 Sep. 2024
Here, Shyamalan has similar intentions: His movie would be nothing without Hartnett’s serial killer outfoxing his pursuers, slipping past one security barrier after another, stealing access badges willy-nilly and engineering his daughter’s onstage appearance with her idol.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for outfox
Robert W. Merry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
The governor’s better posture would be to concentrate on outmaneuvering and outfoxing Trump.
—David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
Situated in one of the game's smallest media markets, the Padres under General Manager A.J. Preller have spent lavishly and made a series of splashy acquisitions, but keep getting outfoxed by their upstate rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
—David Faris, theweek, 5 Sep. 2024
Here, Shyamalan has similar intentions: His movie would be nothing without Hartnett’s serial killer outfoxing his pursuers, slipping past one security barrier after another, stealing access badges willy-nilly and engineering his daughter’s onstage appearance with her idol.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for outfox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outfox
Verb
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When betrayal strikes from within, the team must outwit overwhelming odds to survive and escape.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
12 June 2025
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But Black Bag is electrifying, with Soderbergh operating in his God mode — portraying highly competent people attempting to outwit one another in beautiful clothes, the light practically bending to their beauty and banter.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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When the organization behind the heist sniffs him out, he's got to outsmart them.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
6 May 2025
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This led to residents trying to outsmart the clever birds by putting weights on the lids to prevent the cockatoos from digging through the trash.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 June 2025
Verb
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Bill Daly is a former FBI investigator who worked to thwart terror attacks and dealt with foreign counterintelligence.—
Peter D'Abrosca , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2025
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Nena Farrell The Best Bike Locks and Ebike Locks Our favorite bike locks for every ride, including new locks designed to thwart angle grinders.—
Parker Hall,
Wired News,
21 June 2025
Verb
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The person is not trying to deceive or control, but the behavior still affects others and requires self awareness and growth to correct.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
27 June 2025
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Where was this sense of urgency when the mullahs were attempting to deceive U.N. inspectors while sandbagging U.S. efforts to diplomatically scuttle the country’s nuclear efforts?—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
21 June 2025
Verb
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This will be the second matchup of the season between the two teams, with the Mercury defeating the Sky 94-89 on May 27, 2025.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 June 2025
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Mullins defeated Zhelezniakova via TKO in 2022 on an Ares card.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
Verb
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The Thunder overcame two Game 7s en route to the title, and they will now forever be called champions.—
Matt Levine,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
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Advertisement Indiana tried its best to overcome heartbreak in Game 7: Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers’ star point guard who was playing with a calf strain in his right leg, suffered an achilles injury in the first quarter.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
23 June 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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Raccoon: Raccoon is very similar to fox but rarely comes in any other colors besides that of a typical raccoon which is naturally ombré.—
Liana Satenstein,
Marie Claire,
13 Feb. 2014
Cite this Entry
“Outfox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outfox. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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