as in defeating
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 outmaneuvering
Two generals agreed with Ashley's characterization, stressing the view that on the front lines, Ukraine was outmaneuvering Russia.
—
Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 9 June 2026
Rather than overpowering them with brute force, German forces managed to defeat the French and British forces in the Battle of France (1940) by simply outmaneuvering them.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 20 May 2026
The Strategic Powerhouses These names are inspired by women who lead with their minds, outmaneuvering everyone in the room.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 19 Feb. 2026
Ian Terry won Big Brother season 14 at just 21 years old, becoming the show’s youngest champion after outmaneuvering veteran players with a quiet — but highly calculated — game.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Mamdani will lead a city of over 8 million people, the capital of media, finance and much else, whose annual budget tops $116 billion, after outmaneuvering rivals with decades more experience in a race that captured national attention.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Relay is a smart, small-scale espionage film focused on operatives outmaneuvering one another.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 9 June 2026
Rather than overpowering them with brute force, German forces managed to defeat the French and British forces in the Battle of France (1940) by simply outmaneuvering them.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 20 May 2026
The Strategic Powerhouses These names are inspired by women who lead with their minds, outmaneuvering everyone in the room.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 19 Feb. 2026
Ian Terry won Big Brother season 14 at just 21 years old, becoming the show’s youngest champion after outmaneuvering veteran players with a quiet — but highly calculated — game.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Mamdani will lead a city of over 8 million people, the capital of media, finance and much else, whose annual budget tops $116 billion, after outmaneuvering rivals with decades more experience in a race that captured national attention.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Relay is a smart, small-scale espionage film focused on operatives outmaneuvering one another.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outmaneuvering
Verb
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Head coach Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines hoists the trophy after defeating the UConn Huskies 69-63.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
-
Leviatán has been crowned Valorant Masters London champions, defeating Paper Rex 3-2 in a dramatic grand final.—
Mike Stubbs,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Verb
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Bob Markle was good at outwitting violators.—
Dave Duffey,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mosquitoes just might be outsmarting us Mosquitoes may be beating us at our own game − by making repellent attractive.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
-
Not for the faint-hearted, but catnip for that certain type who’s made a fortune by outsmarting competing hedge fund managers or private equity firms.—
Andrés Martinez,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Yet, Rob-Will walked out of rehab, and is intent on thwarting the ceremonial ranch handover to heir-apparent Joaquin.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
Alexander defeated Slater for the X Division Championship a few weeks ago, thwarting Slater’s chance at becoming the longest reigning X Division champion of all time.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
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The thing is, a lot of people have a talent for deceiving the public.—
Juan J. Arroyo,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2026
-
Park and weather officials alike emphasize to Grand Canyon visitors that hiking conditions can be deceiving.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 June 2026
Verb
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Biden, who has spoken at length about overcoming drug addiction, claims to be at least $15 million in debt.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2026
-
Many training programs for travel consultants (or really for anybody who works in sales) include tactics on overcoming objections.—
Scott Laird,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Speaking on Harvard Business School’s The Founder Mindset podcast, hosted by senior lecturer and serial entrepreneur Reza Satchu, the Shark Tank investor argued that anyone trying to balance a young company against the rest of their life is fooling themselves.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
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The other is fooling humans, particularly the dwindling number of journalists, critics, and other gatekeepers who are still capable of conferring legitimacy by paying attention.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
Verb
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During the McCarthy era, overreaching laws, surveillance, and public and private sector reprisals ostensibly targeted alleged communists.—
Bruce Schneier,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
-
Politically, the industry was equal parts liberal and libertarian, and was perhaps best reflected by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, created to protect the denizens of cyberspace from an overreaching government.—
Jonathan Weber,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outmaneuvering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outmaneuvering. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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