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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of outsmart But occasionally, a bear outsmarts us or overcomes our defenses. Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 July 2025 Live Oak plans to use Casca as the engine behind its effort to bring transparency and structure to a part of the market known more for speed and opacity than fairness, a move that mirrors its history of outsmarting bigger rivals. Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025 Teams invest massive resources in hiring talented and data-driven basketball operations staff in hopes of outsmarting each other. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 May 2025 Preston Fore Economy Top economist who previously sounded the alarm on tariffs sees a possible scenario where Trump 'outsmarted all of us' Jason Ma Leadership Modelo Especial soared to be the #1 beer in America. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 21 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for outsmart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outsmart
Verb
  • To save her muses and tarot deck, Pamela must outwit and out-magic Aleister with the help of old friends.
    Lizz Schumer, People.com, 24 June 2025
  • My orchids can outwit other life forms, and so can my Venus flytrap (currently choking on a common house fly).
    Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • Many construction projects fall under the California Environmental Quality Act, a regulation designed for public works that morphed into a tool to thwart unwanted development.
    Sam Bloch August 8, Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Cheating, thwarting that delicious competition, ruins the whole point for athletes and spectators alike.
    Lindsey Witmer Collins, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • But appearances can be deceiving because there's a lot of bright side here.
    Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Some Russian media commentators also note how Alaska was once Russian territory, sold by Tsar Alexander II to the United States for a pittance in 1867 Many observers, particularly Russian, are dismissing the meeting as a sign Trump has allowed Putin to once again deceive him.
    Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Kinloch closely defeated former THAW CEO Saunteel Jenkins in the city's Aug. 5 primary to advance in the race, according to unofficial vote results on the city's website.
    Dana Afana, Freep.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • The Minutemen lost to East Carolina in the 1964 Tangerine Bowl in Orlando and defeated UC-Davis in the 1972 Boardwalk Bowl in Atlantic City.
    Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The Padres are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to overcome the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League west.
    Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Whether they’re equipped to overcome them is a legitimate question.
    Chandler Rome, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In motorsport, Minis used their agility to outfox more powerful rivals, but here the engine no longer feels like a supporting act.
    Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 30 July 2025
  • Rohit's captaincy was also in the gun, outfoxed tactically by opposite number Pat Cummins.
    Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • But don’t be fooled by the red planet’s Venusian trance.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Wild horses often nap on the sand like beachgoers — but don’t be fooled.
    Evan Moore August 4, Charlotte Observer, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Geoff Hinton, one of the most influential voices in artificial intelligence, warned that humanity is running out of time to prepare for machines that outthink us.
    Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Either way, in a world where everything can be faked — intelligence, emotion, even purpose — the real danger isn’t that AI will outthink us.
    Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Outsmart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outsmart. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

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