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
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
Errani and Vavassori outmaneuvered the Top 5 singles players.
—Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
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
Errani and Vavassori outmaneuvered the Top 5 singles players.
—Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outmaneuvered
Verb
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The Houston Texans defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 in the final game of the wild card round of the playoffs on Monday in what might be the end of the Aaron Rodgers era in the NFL.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
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The Panthers were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams, 34-31, on Saturday in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.—
Mike Kaye
January 13,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 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, 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
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Tuchel came to Monaco for a meeting with United’s leaders two weeks after the FA Cup final, in which Ten Hag’s side outsmarted and defeated Manchester City for a momentous win.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
1 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
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Trump told people that Rupert deceived him.—
Gabriel Sherman,
Vanity Fair,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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MacDonough recently thwarted an attempt to include a Boundary Waters provision in a budget reconciliation package.—
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
15 Jan. 2026
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Initial attempts to conduct a drone search were thwarted by the windstorm, and the ground operation was called off before nightfall, the agency said.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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He was outfoxed, outplayed and frustrated by the calm version of Daniil Medvedev in 2023, and lost in straight sets to Botic van De Zandschulp in the second round last year.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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No doubt remained that I’d been outfoxed.—
Charles Elliott,
Outdoor Life,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The first generation of Iranian revolutionaries—including octogenarians like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—have long fooled themselves about their future.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2026
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Don’t be fooled by their jaw-dropping price, the bottoms deliver an expensive look thanks to their dark wash and classic cut.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The pregnant pauses between seasons have overreached.—
Emma Flint,
IndieWire,
25 Nov. 2025
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The law also aims to rein in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Republicans argue had overreached under former President Joe Biden.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outmaneuvered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outmaneuvered. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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