as in to outwit
to get the better of through cleverness
the company's growth is due in large part to its marketing division's ability to outthink the competition
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Recent Examples of outthink
Some of the game’s biggest stars have already voiced frustration over trying to outthink the robots.
—
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Digital computers may eventually outthink us, but that will remain all action without experience.
—Shai Tubali, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026
As loyalties blur and tensions erupt, survival depends on who can outthink – and outgun – everyone else.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 13 Jan. 2026
The real edge is in responsiveness − the ability to outthink, outproduce and outmaneuver its competitor.
—Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2025
Altman, always the AI optimist, has previously touted AI’s potential to someday outthink humans, but the technology’s past three years of progress since OpenAI kicked off the AI arms race with ChatGPT’s release have shown him this moment could come sooner rather than later.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2025
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
And if this isn’t an isolated incident, then this presents a huge problem for the remnants of humanity, most of whom have survived through a mixture of luck and simply being able to outthink these single-minded creatures.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2025
Perhaps the shape rotators are convinced that computers can outthink us because their own minds are so impoverished.
—Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Digital computers may eventually outthink us, but that will remain all action without experience.
—Shai Tubali, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026
As loyalties blur and tensions erupt, survival depends on who can outthink – and outgun – everyone else.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 13 Jan. 2026
The real edge is in responsiveness − the ability to outthink, outproduce and outmaneuver its competitor.
—Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2025
Altman, always the AI optimist, has previously touted AI’s potential to someday outthink humans, but the technology’s past three years of progress since OpenAI kicked off the AI arms race with ChatGPT’s release have shown him this moment could come sooner rather than later.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2025
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
And if this isn’t an isolated incident, then this presents a huge problem for the remnants of humanity, most of whom have survived through a mixture of luck and simply being able to outthink these single-minded creatures.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2025
Perhaps the shape rotators are convinced that computers can outthink us because their own minds are so impoverished.
—Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outthink
Verb
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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.—
Greg Petro,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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In 2026, that particular kind of story about the sharp, unassuming woman who outwits everyone is having a moment again.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Don’t outsmart yourself, which McDaniel occasionally does, including that late first-half pass that Tagovailoa almost turned into a devastating backward pass.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 Dec. 2025
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As their twisted lies unravel, Nora and Jack scramble to outsmart one another — with only one of them set to come out on top.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But Bessent outmaneuvered his rival with the help of an unusual coalition that included MAGA figures like Bannon and Navarro and Wall Street elites who had a history of tension with Lutnick.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
8 Dec. 2025
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Mamdani will lead a city of over 8 million people, the capital of media, finance and much else, whose annual budget tops $116 billion, after outmaneuvering rivals with decades more experience in a race that captured national attention.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Subscriptions started at $88 per week and included almost 300 templates for fake websites designed to deceive customers, a dashboard that allowed criminals to monitor their campaigns, a discussion forum where users could find collaborators and receive support, and keylogging capabilities.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
13 June 2026
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The problem is, most people feel deceived when the person in front of them doesn't match the profile.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Local authorities in Pakistan said Tuesday that security forces killed eight attackers and thwarted an attempt to seize the checkpoint.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
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Indeed, once the former’s economic situation forces them to withdraw from hosting duties just four years before kickoff, the opportunist pulls out every unscrupulous trick in the book to thwart the rival bids from, ironically, Canada and USA.—
Jon O'Brien,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
Verb
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The Bulldogs fell behind 3-0 in the first and could not overcome the early deficit thanks to the efforts of OU starting pitcher Xander Mercurius’ 7 1/3 quality innings pitched.—
Hunter DeLauder,
AJC.com,
16 June 2026
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Chasing atomic limits To overcome that challenge, the KAIST team relied on first-principles calculations, a computational approach that predicts material behavior using the laws of physics rather than experimental data.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Across fixtures which mirror the opening half-a-dozen matches of the first team’s Champions League campaign, Newcastle were defeated on every occasion.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
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So that led to the biggest shock of all when after Steven blocked Savannah’s vote, and Sophi’s Knowledge is Power fizzled in spectacular fashion, and Tres Leches seemed despondent and defeated… that Steven ended up being unanimously voted out anyway!—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Dec. 2025
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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But even foxes can outfox themselves by their own designs.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outthink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outthink. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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