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outfoxing

verb

present participle of outfox
as in defeating
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 outfoxing Both candidates attempted to court voters by outfoxing each other in their support of the then-former president and the race became increasingly negative. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outfoxing
  1. defeating
  2. outwitting
  3. outsmarting
  4. outmaneuvering
  5. thwarting
  6. deceiving
  7. overcoming
  8. fooling
Verb
  • Top Plays from Jets @ Titans To an outside observer, what happened Sunday afternoon — a team with low expectations defeating a Tennessee Titans team with even lower expectations — might not seem all that meaningful.
    — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The Kangaroos accomplished that goal, defeating Paschal 31-18 and entering district competition on a positive note.
    — Gavin Vieck, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of defeating
Verb
  • Similar storm-clouds are now gathering around Sánchez, a canny politician known for outwitting his opponents.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
  • Bob Markle was good at outwitting violators.
    — Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of outwitting
Verb
  • The problem, according to Hinton, is that humans will no longer be able to rely on outsmarting super-intelligent AI models.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The Fan, the season-long unsub obsessed with one-upping and outsmarting his idol.
    — Joyce Eng, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026
Definition of outsmarting
Verb
  • The characters' abilities are built around outmaneuvering, not outgunning.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • May built one of the most dominant teams in Big Ten history by outmaneuvering his peers in the transfer portal.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of outmaneuvering
Verb
  • Los Angeles police corralled and arrested scores of minibike riders on Sunday, thwarting a takeover of 6th Street Bridge.
    — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Oregon is one of the only states in the country with a carve-out in its public records law that prevents disclosing the financial details of subsidized housing projects, thwarting researchers and journalists who have tried to examine their costs.
    — Rob Davis, ProPublica, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of thwarting
Verb
  • The public deserves to know which of his points were defensible and which were deceiving.
    — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • At Ground Zero, 9/11 widow Terry Strada accused Saudi Arabia of deceiving victims’ families and urged the administration to rethink Washington’s close ties as a landmark lawsuit moves forward.
    — Collin Binkley, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of deceiving
Verb
  • Andersson faces the task of overcoming differences in the opposition bloc.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Also, underwater solar deployment requires overcoming extreme conditions such as corrosive salt, high pressure, and water ingress.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • In the highlight, Marshall retrieves the ball and oddly fires it back to the infield, fooling no one.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Anybody hoping that a Netanyahu defeat in October and the emergence of a less controversial successor will reset the table is likely fooling themselves.
    — Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of fooling

Browse Nearby Words

outfoxes
outfoxing
out-front
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Cite this Entry

“Outfoxing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outfoxing. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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