outmaneuvered

verb

past tense of outmaneuver
as in defeated
to get the better of through cleverness outmaneuvered his congressional opponent by co-opting his call for change in Washington

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 outmaneuvered Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers’ coach who doubles as McVay’s friend, mentor and nemesis, outmaneuvered McVay again. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 For more than a decade, India’s leader Narendra Modi has seemed politically unassailable, presiding over a government that has outmaneuvered opponents, dominated public discourse and squeezed the space for dissent in the world’s biggest democracy. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 July 2026 The series will also recreate pivotal moments from Carlos’ life, while Carr examines how Carlos outmaneuvered intelligence services before being captured. — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 24 June 2026 Infantino endured another lesson in the limits of his facile brand of diplomacy in Vancouver, when he was outmaneuvered by Jibril Rajoub, the 73-year-old president of the Palestinian Football Association, who had asked to address the congress. — Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026 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 Soon, the European LNGs might find themselves being outmaneuvered by others, such as China. — Ike Brannon, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026 Beyond Curaçao, regulators have largely fumbled in their efforts to rein in the offshore casino sector, outmaneuvered by nimble operators who exploit the gap between national laws and enforcement power. — Cecilia D'anastasio, Bloomberg, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outmaneuvered
  1. defeated
  2. outwitted
  3. outsmarted
  4. deceived
  5. thwarted
  6. outfoxed
  7. fooled
  8. overreached
Verb
  • The Oregon Ducks defeated Boise State 34-27 in Week 1 but have since lost to Oklahoma State and, this weekend, to UCLA.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The Valkyries defeated the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Friday night to advance to next week’s Finals, led by an overtime scoring flurry from Gabby Williams in their 87-77 win.
    — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of defeated
Verb
  • To say that Cucurella was pleased, when the Spanish side outwitted the French in the semifinal, would be an understatement.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • For Deschamps and Stephan, there was no shortage of blame after Spain’s Luis de la Fuente outwitted the French coaching staff for the third time, following wins at the 2024 European Championship and last year’s Nations League semi-final.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of outwitted
Verb
  • But this will be forever known as a day when football’s smartest organization got outsmarted, when football’s best coach fumbled and when the San Francisco 49ers turned football’s giants into so much shrimp on the barbie.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • After being humiliated and outsmarted when Julia escaped his grasp with Henry’s help in the season one finale, Lovat is presumably more dangerous than ever — and Henry will need to find a way back to save her once again.
    — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of outsmarted
Verb
  • Some veterans say recruiters deceived them and Haitian authorities tortured them; their families call them scapegoats.
    — Astrid Suárez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Some of the Colombians have long maintained that they were deceived about the mission and arrived at the home after Moïse had already been killed.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceived
Verb
  • As a major bloc that has been able to apply pressure, the union has thwarted several efforts by Mamdani’s predecessors to ban the attraction, as hundreds of carriage operators make a living operating the buggies.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • On the next play, Bolden sacked Russell and thwarted the Crimson Tide’s chances of kicking a game-tying field goal.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of thwarted
Verb
  • Across two seasons packed with twisty machinations, Jung’s virtuous prosecutor Jang Geon-young attempted to pin down Hyun’s shamelessly corrupt — but effortlessly cool — intelligence officer Baek Ki-tae, only to be outfoxed at every turn.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Gauff dug in, matched Badosa’s power, and outfoxed her when the opportunities arose.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of outfoxed
Verb
  • And we will be fooled into believing that’s the best, or worst, thing comedy has to offer.
    — Christina Catherine Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The balancing act Don’t be fooled by the lack of a back-up plan.
    — Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of fooled
Verb
  • His comments come as OpenAI models have been involved in multiple security incidents in which agentic tools have overreached, hacking other companies and even government websites.
    — James Peckham, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Ultimately, Judge Darwin ruled in favor of the California Gaming Association, reaffirming its argument that the Bureau of Gambling Control overreached by attempting to impose new regulations.
    — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Definition of overreached

Browse Nearby Words

outmaneuver
outmaneuvered
outmaneuvering
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Cite this Entry

“Outmaneuvered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outmaneuvered. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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