as in defeated
to get the better of through cleverness
outmaneuvered his congressional opponent by co-opting his call for change in Washington
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Recent Examples of outmaneuvered
Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Washington maintained order among his demoralized troops.
—
Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
But he was outmaneuvered by a bipartisan groundswell of support from lawmakers and the public, and eventually dropped his opposition.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
We are frequently being outmaneuvered, crushed, or ignored.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Heavy doses of match coverage take heavy doses of mental discipline, and the Broncos were outmaneuvered a few too many times by Jacksonville.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025
Ekman-Larsson was beaten for position in front of the net on the first one and then turned over the puck (and missed on a big neutral zone hit), which led to the second one as his partner, Rielly, was outmaneuvered for position in front of Dennis Hildeby.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
But Bessent outmaneuvered his rival with the help of an unusual coalition that included MAGA figures like Bannon and Navarro and Wall Street elites who had a history of tension with Lutnick.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025
But in 2021, Bennett outmaneuvered his former boss, crossed the aisle, and forged an unprecedented coalition with the centrist leader Yair Lapid, two leftist parties, and even a socially conservative Arab party.
—Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
Footage released by the Philippine government shows a Chinese coast guard cutter colliding with a People's Liberation Army Navy destroyer after being outmaneuvered by a Philippine fisheries bureau vessel.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
But he was outmaneuvered by a bipartisan groundswell of support from lawmakers and the public, and eventually dropped his opposition.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
We are frequently being outmaneuvered, crushed, or ignored.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Heavy doses of match coverage take heavy doses of mental discipline, and the Broncos were outmaneuvered a few too many times by Jacksonville.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025
Ekman-Larsson was beaten for position in front of the net on the first one and then turned over the puck (and missed on a big neutral zone hit), which led to the second one as his partner, Rielly, was outmaneuvered for position in front of Dennis Hildeby.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
But Bessent outmaneuvered his rival with the help of an unusual coalition that included MAGA figures like Bannon and Navarro and Wall Street elites who had a history of tension with Lutnick.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025
But in 2021, Bennett outmaneuvered his former boss, crossed the aisle, and forged an unprecedented coalition with the centrist leader Yair Lapid, two leftist parties, and even a socially conservative Arab party.
—Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
Footage released by the Philippine government shows a Chinese coast guard cutter colliding with a People's Liberation Army Navy destroyer after being outmaneuvered by a Philippine fisheries bureau vessel.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outmaneuvered
Verb
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Tyler, competing in the 138-pound bracket, defeated Melissa’s Jaxon Johnson in the title match via 6-1 decision.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Eduards Tralmaks and Renars Krastenbergs scored just more than three minutes apart, and Latvia defeated Germany 4-3.—
Stephen Whyno,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Maduro has in any case outwitted dozens of attempts to depose him over the years.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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Though Penn State had a key injury with linebacker Tony Rojas sidelined, Knowles was also outwitted by Neuheisel, who only took over the role for the Bruins earlier this week.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, ancient mythology is filled with examples of crafty foxes being outsmarted by their own traps.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
20 Jan. 2026
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However, Cena outsmarted him by grabbing the chair, throwing it next to Dom, and pretending to be down on the mat.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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And don’t be deceived by Saturday’s sunny skies as the high will be 32 with wind chills as low as 9 degrees.—
Amanda McCoy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
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Challengers should give Marylanders the option to choose a new direction and remove the need to confront the painful reality that they were deceived.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Twice thwarted, Beth sighs, says yes, and gets on with the business of living.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
5 Feb. 2026
-
This all-consuming love, thwarted in the book by circumstances, has flourished beyond its pages.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Liv Morgan begged for a tag, but she was outfoxed by a blind tag from Rhea Ripley.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
No doubt remained that I’d been outfoxed.—
Charles Elliott,
Outdoor Life,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Still, don’t be fooled by the light turnout.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
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Don’t be fooled by its budget-friendly price, the fragrance is right on par with Dior’s highly coveted J’Adore perfume.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Rozier's lawyers have asked for the charges against him to be thrown out, arguing that the government overreached by turning a private dispute over bettors' use of nonpublic information into a federal case.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
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The defense has argued that the encounters were consensual and that the government has overreached.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outmaneuvered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outmaneuvered. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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