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
  • The Rams find the end zone late in the second quarter after a sluggish start and don’t look back, defeating the Chargers 24-9 to improve to 4-4 on the season.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The matchup was billed as a rematch of Super Bowl LX, which Seattle won in February by defeating New England 29-10 to claim the franchise’s second Vince Lombardi Trophy.
    — Chantz Martin OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 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
  • My spam filter was working fine, but somehow these messages were outsmarting it!
    — Cellene Hoogenkamp, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • In his younger days, Presnell seemed to enjoy outsmarting people.
    — Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of outsmarting
Verb
  • Without his wife by his side, George, so confident in his business dealings and so adept at outmaneuvering the old-money elites whose hold on American enterprise is loosening, is unmoored.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The original 1960s cars had legendary status dominating the Monte Carlo Rally, outmaneuvering heavier machinery across icy mountain passes with lightweight agility rather than brute off-road hardware.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of outmaneuvering
Verb
  • The requirements are aimed at thwarting fraud or improper enrollments.
    — Julie Appleby, NPR, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Masterson, who has spent the last six years thwarting Kelly’s will as a top legislative leader in Topeka’s Republican supermajority, is now highlighting examples of his bipartisan achievements and describing Holscher as a socialist.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of thwarting
Verb
  • The first rule of thumb—and a solid piece of advice to live by—is that looks can be deceiving.
    — Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 1 Nov. 2026
  • But looks are deceiving in this case – just like the 3X Plus and 3X before it, the trailer stretches out via three individual telescopic segments that emerge at the push of a button.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceiving
Verb
  • Third of all, overcoming two years of dread took a long time.
    — Monique John, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026
  • About that theme of overcoming numerous challenges, from March through October.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • His Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Jessep isn’t fooling anyone with the calculated nonchalance and the propensity for quoting Melville and Shakespeare.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Scammers had been fooling Apple by returning iPhone boxes with the original accessories, internal components, or even the phone itself swapped out.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of fooling

Browse Nearby Words

outfoxes
outfoxing
out-front
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Outfoxing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outfoxing. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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