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
Mosquitoes just might be outsmarting us Mosquitoes may be beating us at our own game − by making repellent attractive.
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Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
In research released Monday, Amazon scientists Gaurav Gupta and Vatshank Chaturvedi document in careful technical detail why AI agents have a persistent tendency to outsmart themselves—and why fixing the problem requires rethinking the entire layer of software between the model and its tools.
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Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
However, all this ends up swept under the rug in favor of trying to outsmart the viewer, leaving little by way of coherent narrative evolution; neither of the aforementioned threads is ever followed up on.
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Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
8 June 2026
The Wachowskis’ debut film stars Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly as extremely hot lesbians who fall in love and outsmart the mob.
—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for outsmart
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
In research released Monday, Amazon scientists Gaurav Gupta and Vatshank Chaturvedi document in careful technical detail why AI agents have a persistent tendency to outsmart themselves—and why fixing the problem requires rethinking the entire layer of software between the model and its tools.
—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
However, all this ends up swept under the rug in favor of trying to outsmart the viewer, leaving little by way of coherent narrative evolution; neither of the aforementioned threads is ever followed up on.
—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
8 June 2026
The Wachowskis’ debut film stars Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly as extremely hot lesbians who fall in love and outsmart the mob.
—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for outsmart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outsmart
Verb
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Similar storm-clouds are now gathering around Sánchez, a canny politician known for outwitting his opponents.
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Out of the first 3,000 participants, only three adults managed to outwit the kids and win the million-dollar grand prize.
Verb
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In the 31st minute, Morocco's Achraf Hakimi received the ball downfield in front of the box but was thwarted by Haiti's goalkeeper Johny Placide.
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Starmer’s attempt to tackle Britain’s spiralling benefits bill was thwarted by his own MPs.
Verb
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The question is no longer whether Vannacci will influence the vote, but whether Meloni can contain, co-opt or outmaneuver her challenger.
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The question, analysts say, is no longer whether Vannacci will influence the vote, but whether Meloni can contain, co-opt or outmaneuver a challenger carving out political space to her right.
Verb
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The thing is, a lot of people have a talent for deceiving the public.
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Park and weather officials alike emphasize to Grand Canyon visitors that hiking conditions can be deceiving.
Verb
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And the resounding manner of Burnham’s win – comprehensively defeating Reform weeks after Labour was routed in local elections – gives him considerable momentum too.
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Scotland, which defeated Haiti 1-0 on the same field last Friday, likely would need to beat or draw Brazil in its group-stage finale in Miami to qualify for the Round of 32.
Verb
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Rather than be benched, Devers batted cleanup, overcame an 0-for-3 start, and singled up the middle in the seventh to score Bryce Eldridge, who narrowly beat a tag at the plate for a 3-1 lead.
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Its highly specialized strategy likely evolved to take advantage of the ant’s natural aggression and then overcome its defenses; the slingshot mechanism flings the ant from the foraging trail, reducing the risk that the spider will be swarmed by other workers, the researchers hypothesized.
Verb
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Liv Morgan begged for a tag, but she was outfoxed by a blind tag from Rhea Ripley.
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But even foxes can outfox themselves by their own designs.
Verb
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Don’t be fooled; this isn’t your typical museum.
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Don’t be fooled by its breezy ’60s-analog vintage pop sound.
Cite this Entry
“Outsmart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outsmart. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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