as in to outwit
to get the better of through cleverness
an inexpensive security system that would likely be outsmarted by anyone with a serious interest in circumventing it
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Recent Examples of outsmart
The world's deadliest animal could be outsmarting us.
—
Doyle Rice, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Seth Rollins outsmarts Bron Breakker The rivalry between Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker has not slowed down one bit.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Sunday outsmarted Adam and Hannah with a ruse at Tribal Council.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
The goal isn’t to outsmart wildfire season.
—Ryan Brennan
may 19, Kansas City Star, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for outsmart
Doyle Rice, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Seth Rollins outsmarts Bron Breakker The rivalry between Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker has not slowed down one bit.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Sunday outsmarted Adam and Hannah with a ruse at Tribal Council.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
The goal isn’t to outsmart wildfire season.
—Ryan Brennan
may 19, Kansas City Star, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for outsmart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outsmart
Verb
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The Bed Rot Challenge is a new reality competition web series in which stars from Survivor, The Traitors, Love Island USA, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, The Bachelorette, and Beast Games will attempt to outwit and outlast each other… on a bed.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 May 2026
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Towering over the town is another, much bigger, Venetian fort, the Palamidhi (named after Palamedes, Nafplio’s legendarily clever local hero, who outwitted Odysseus and, well, didn’t live long enough to regret it).—
Helen Brown,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Indeed, once the former’s economic situation forces them to withdraw from hosting duties just four years before kickoff, the opportunist pulls out every unscrupulous trick in the book to thwart the rival bids from, ironically, Canada and USA.—
Jon O'Brien,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
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Local authorities in Pakistan said Tuesday that security forces killed eight attackers and thwarted an attempt to seize the checkpoint.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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He was also accused of deceiving escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condo deposits and then misappropriated those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.—
Jay Weaver
June 6,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
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The Allies went to extraordinary lengths to deceive the enemy, suggesting that the attack would focus on the Pas-de-Calais, the narrowest point of the English Channel.—
Kevin Maurer,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
Verb
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The Sooners clinched their CWS appearance by defeating the Kansas Jayhawks twice in the Lawrence Super Regional.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2026
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On Thursday, spurred on by most of the 80,824 fans in attendance and forwards Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez, Mexico managed to defeat South Africa 2-0 and securing its first opening match victory.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The pair became friends, and Hasley went on to help write a book about Jenner’s philosophy on overcoming adversity in sports and life.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
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Macron and Merz had tried for months to salvage the project and overcome differences between Airbus and Dassault.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 June 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
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But even foxes can outfox themselves by their own designs.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But don’t be fooled, Shoshone is well worth exploring in its own right.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
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Don’t be fooled by its petite silhouette—the bag still offers plenty of room for well beyond your wallet and keys.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outsmart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outsmart. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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