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
The ferocity of their scenes together, aided by Arias’ devoted yet outmaneuvered Thea, sets the production ablaze with erotic danger.
—
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Paramount, which was outmaneuvered by Netflix last December, has received a warmer response from WBD this week and the two media companies are continuing to negotiate.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
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
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Paramount, which was outmaneuvered by Netflix last December, has received a warmer response from WBD this week and the two media companies are continuing to negotiate.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outmaneuvered
Verb
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Bennedict Mathurin had 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists off the bench, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors 115-110 on Sunday to set up a rematch in the play-in tournament.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Cologne eased its Bundesliga relegation worries on Sunday, Stuttgart took another step toward Champions League qualification and Freiburg defeated Mainz 1-0 away in a duel between European contenders.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Rams, seeded 11th, caused an average of 22 turnovers per game with its full-court trapping defense and outwitted everyone in their run from First Four to Final Four.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
18 Mar. 2026
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Probst, who grew up in the Seattle area and started his career here, is synonymous with the show that’s outlasted (and outwitted, and outplayed) any TV counterpart.—
Paige Cornwell,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The struggle resonated with parents on Reddit, many of whom admitted they have been outsmarted by their own baby gear.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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In each of these cases, a tech company outsmarted a human—or several—either by producing text convincing enough to pass the smell test, or by creating and marketing a service that convinced a writer to offload part of their labor.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The firm says it was deceived again in June 2022, when IQHQ restructured and moved investor interests into a Delaware limited partnership structure.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
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Klipsch Austin Portable Bluetooth Speaker Deal Don't be deceived by the small Klipsch Austin portable speaker.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In an arrest affidavit, investigators said Victor Lee Hawkins, 20, armed with two semiautomatic handguns, walked into the lobby of the school that afternoon, told everyone to hit the ground and tried to shoot one student but was thwarted by a malfunctioning weapon.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
15 Apr. 2026
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The plot revolves around the evil Dark Helmet (Moranis) and President Skroob (Brooks), who attempt to steal the atmosphere of the peaceful planet Druidia, only to be thwarted by the hero Lone Starr (Pullman), his sidekick Barf (John Candy), and the Druish princess Vespa (Zuniga).—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
15 Apr. 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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Many a hunter has been fooled into giving up too soon.—
Bruce Brady,
Outdoor Life,
8 Apr. 2026
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Because the malicious web pages look like legitimate services, users can be fooled into entering their passwords and two-factor codes, which the hackers steal.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The defense argued that the encounters were consensual and that the government had overreached.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Democrats and liberals strongly believe Trump has overreached yet again — albeit not in quite such egregious terms — by inveighing against Bad Bunny.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outmaneuvered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outmaneuvered. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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