as in outwitting
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
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Recent Examples of outsmarting
Because some of them act like complete idiots, but Wendy is constantly outsmarting everyone.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Each episode will see the heroes explore new lands — from glittering mining mountains to secret vault cities — solving puzzles, cracking codes and outsmarting digital bandits along the way.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2025
Much of the pleasure of John Lee Hancock’s marginal thriller comes in the familiar sight of Washington outsmarting those around him and projecting a weary grandeur that suggests all the horrors this man has seen on the job.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Each episode will see the heroes explore new lands — from glittering mining mountains to secret vault cities — solving puzzles, cracking codes and outsmarting digital bandits along the way.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2025
Much of the pleasure of John Lee Hancock’s marginal thriller comes in the familiar sight of Washington outsmarting those around him and projecting a weary grandeur that suggests all the horrors this man has seen on the job.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outsmarting
Verb
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Ben Shapiro, Pete Buttigieg, Michael Knowles, Alex O’Connor—these are professional debaters capable of outwitting and outreasoning almost any audience member unfamiliar with traditional debate techniques, regardless of the topic or claim being considered.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Holladay, 42, ran against Wing in 2024, with Wing narrowly defeating the Democratic challenger by a margin of 7,541 to 7,255.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Sep. 2025
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Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions picked up another win, defeating the Cleveland Browns.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Two culinary pros gave us the real scoop about how certain vanilla bean ice creams have been deceiving us all these years.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
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Opening arguments are set to begin Tuesday's in the FTC's lawsuit against Amazon for allegedly deceiving tens of millions of customers into signing up for Prime and thwarting their attempts to cancel it.—
Matthew J. Belvedere,Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There had already been one major let-off with Alisson thwarting Yilmaz, who had got in behind the makeshift right-back too easily.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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House Republican leaders have been thwarting efforts to get that vote.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Relay is a smart, small-scale espionage film focused on operatives outmaneuvering one another.—
Scott Phillips,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Marc Marquez says his latest MotoGP championship win carries a weight that goes beyond his statistics, describing it as the culmination of years spent overcoming injury, self-doubt and an inner battle to continue.—
Alex Harrington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
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In 2024, the Hurricanes started 9-0, including overcoming double-digit deficits against Virginia Tech, California and Duke in the early portion of its conference schedule.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Instead of fooling millions of people individually, attackers need only to compromise one AI model to reach millions at once.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
20 Sep. 2025
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Your press release isn’t fooling anyone.—
Roberta Matuson,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outsmarting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outsmarting. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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