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outsmarted

verb

past tense of outsmart
as in outwitted
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 outsmarted But this will be forever known as a day when football’s smartest organization got outsmarted, when football’s best coach fumbled and when the San Francisco 49ers turned football’s giants into so much shrimp on the barbie. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 After being humiliated and outsmarted when Julia escaped his grasp with Henry’s help in the season one finale, Lovat is presumably more dangerous than ever — and Henry will need to find a way back to save her once again. — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026 For fun, its creator Antonio Prohias also introduced a third agent who often outsmarted both. — Will Townsend, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 This disease did not retreat because the bacterium weakened or because humanity outsmarted it. — Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 29 July 2026 The world’s leading superpower was outsmarted by Iran, perhaps because Iran’s secretary of defense took his job seriously. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2026 Meanwhile, Tyreese is outsmarted by the Terminus Tiger Fan, who grabs baby Judith and threatens to snap her neck unless Tyreese walks unarmed into a herd of walkers outside. — Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026 And some of the bees that technically failed the test may have actually outsmarted their contemporaries—by learning to work smarter, not harder. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 4 June 2026 Instead of drafting franchise cornerstones in JaMarr Chase or Penei Sewell, ex-GM Chris Grier outsmarted himself. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outsmarted
  1. outwitted
  2. defeated
  3. deceived
  4. thwarted
  5. outmaneuvered
  6. fooled
  7. outfoxed
  8. overcame
Verb
  • To say that Cucurella was pleased, when the Spanish side outwitted the French in the semifinal, would be an understatement.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • For Deschamps and Stephan, there was no shortage of blame after Spain’s Luis de la Fuente outwitted the French coaching staff for the third time, following wins at the 2024 European Championship and last year’s Nations League semi-final.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of outwitted
Verb
  • In 2022, Hoover defeated sitting legislator Ken Cooley by just 1 percentage point in a race that took days to call.
    — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The Rangers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 on Saturday night in Arlington, followed shortly by the completion of the Houston Astros’ 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves in Houston.
    — Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of defeated
Verb
  • Customers who feel respected are far more forgiving than customers who feel deceived.
    — Natalie Ruiz, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Furious at having been deceived her whole life, Kylie hops on the next plane to the Owens’ ancestral home in England with the intent of breaking the curse once and for all.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of deceived
Verb
  • Herbert had to pounce on the loose ball and the threat was thwarted.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Minnesota prosecutors charged him in May, but were thwarted in their efforts to extradite him from Texas, where he had been arrested.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of thwarted
Verb
  • Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers’ coach who doubles as McVay’s friend, mentor and nemesis, outmaneuvered McVay again.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • For more than a decade, India’s leader Narendra Modi has seemed politically unassailable, presiding over a government that has outmaneuvered opponents, dominated public discourse and squeezed the space for dissent in the world’s biggest democracy.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
Definition of outmaneuvered
Verb
  • Trey Owens fooled the TCU defense with a 34-yard keeper on third-and-1 to get inside the 10-yard line.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Earlier in the game, he was fooled on a flea-flicker, and his pass-interference penalty set up the Patriots’ lone touchdown.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of fooled
Verb
  • Gauff dug in, matched Badosa’s power, and outfoxed her when the opportunities arose.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Liv Morgan begged for a tag, but she was outfoxed by a blind tag from Rhea Ripley.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Definition of outfoxed
Verb
  • The Packers also overcame a scary start when wide receiver Jayden Reed and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele were carted off the field with injuries on consecutive plays on the opening drive.
    — CBS New York Team, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Earlier Sunday, Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz overcame Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic 7-5, 6-2 to hand Zverev the opportunity to send Germany to the Final 8 in Bologna, Italy, in November.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of overcame

Browse Nearby Words

outsmart
outsmarted
outsmarting
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Cite this Entry

“Outsmarted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outsmarted. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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