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
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Recent Examples of outsmarted
The struggle resonated with parents on Reddit, many of whom admitted they have been outsmarted by their own baby gear.
—
Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
In each of these cases, a tech company outsmarted a human—or several—either by producing text convincing enough to pass the smell test, or by creating and marketing a service that convinced a writer to offload part of their labor.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
He gets outsmarted by Forst and trapped in a symbiotic relationship where has to work for the world’s worst man to see his discovery come to fruition.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
However, ancient mythology is filled with examples of crafty foxes being outsmarted by their own traps.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
However, Cena outsmarted him by grabbing the chair, throwing it next to Dom, and pretending to be down on the mat.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
Tuchel came to Monaco for a meeting with United’s leaders two weeks after the FA Cup final, in which Ten Hag’s side outsmarted and defeated Manchester City for a momentous win.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2025
Incensed at being outsmarted, the CEO of Weyland-Yutani (Sandra Yi Sencindive) allows one of her employees, a cyborg with very few scruples named Morrow (Babou Ceesay), to use any means necessary to reacquire the biological specimens.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
This solution also outsmarted existing industry tools like Gurobi on large-scale delivery simulations.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2025
Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
In each of these cases, a tech company outsmarted a human—or several—either by producing text convincing enough to pass the smell test, or by creating and marketing a service that convinced a writer to offload part of their labor.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
He gets outsmarted by Forst and trapped in a symbiotic relationship where has to work for the world’s worst man to see his discovery come to fruition.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
However, ancient mythology is filled with examples of crafty foxes being outsmarted by their own traps.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
However, Cena outsmarted him by grabbing the chair, throwing it next to Dom, and pretending to be down on the mat.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
Tuchel came to Monaco for a meeting with United’s leaders two weeks after the FA Cup final, in which Ten Hag’s side outsmarted and defeated Manchester City for a momentous win.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2025
Incensed at being outsmarted, the CEO of Weyland-Yutani (Sandra Yi Sencindive) allows one of her employees, a cyborg with very few scruples named Morrow (Babou Ceesay), to use any means necessary to reacquire the biological specimens.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
This solution also outsmarted existing industry tools like Gurobi on large-scale delivery simulations.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outsmarted
Verb
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The Rams, seeded 11th, caused an average of 22 turnovers per game with its full-court trapping defense and outwitted everyone in their run from First Four to Final Four.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
18 Mar. 2026
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Probst, who grew up in the Seattle area and started his career here, is synonymous with the show that’s outlasted (and outwitted, and outplayed) any TV counterpart.—
Paige Cornwell,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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It was defeated on a straight party-line vote, and our highly ideological legislature kept the gap between Title IX and Colorado law unresolved.—
Lisa Frizell,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
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In the men’s final Monday, Connecticut and Michigan will play for the national championship after both roundly defeated their opponents in the semifinals.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Klipsch Austin Portable Bluetooth Speaker Deal Don't be deceived by the small Klipsch Austin portable speaker.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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Svetlana Petriychuk wrote the play Finist, the Brave Falcon, based on real events, about Russian women deceived into marrying ISIS fighters and traveling to Syria.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Both problems also thwarted Artemis I, whose capsule returned with excessive heat shield damage.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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The livestream had originally been scheduled for April 1, but clouds thwarted the view.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The ferocity of their scenes together, aided by Arias’ devoted yet outmaneuvered Thea, sets the production ablaze with erotic danger.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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Paramount, which was outmaneuvered by Netflix last December, has received a warmer response from WBD this week and the two media companies are continuing to negotiate.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Some commenters on social media said they were nearly fooled, but others compared the all-white design to certain plates manufactured years ago that are prone to peeling.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Don’t be fooled by the casual, conveyor belt setup; diners rave about its excellent quality and freshness.—
Zoe Baillargeon,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Apr. 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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No doubt remained that I’d been outfoxed.—
Charles Elliott,
Outdoor Life,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Leafs overcame a 3-1 deficit with three goals in the third period, including Rielly's snap shot from the high slot that beat Anaheim goalie Ville Husso stick-side to give Toronto a 4-3 lead with three minutes left in regulation.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Leafs overcame a 3-1 deficit with three goals in the third period, including Rielly’s snap shot from the high slot that beat Anaheim goalie Ville Husso stick-side to give Toronto a 4-3 lead with three minutes left in regulation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outsmarted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outsmarted. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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