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
Either way, in a world where everything can be faked — intelligence, emotion, even purpose — the real danger isn’t that AI will outthink us.
—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 May 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
In a blog post, Google CEO Sundar Pichai predicted the technology underlying Gemini Advanced will be able to outthink even the smartest people when tackling many complex topics.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024
By June, however, Space Force and its Combatant Command, U.S. Space Command, were recruiting tech-smart people; coordinating with international allies; deciding which technologies to buy; and running war-game simulations in which teams attack, counterattack and outthink one another.
—Ann Finkbeiner, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2020
What the talent evaluators of the Carolina Panthers saw this draft cycle was an undersized quarterback from the University of Alabama whose ability to outthink defenses outweighed his physical limitations.
—Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 28 Apr. 2023
Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmaneuver the shockingly twisted professors.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2023
Warzel offers this advice: Don’t try to outthink the robots.
—Robin Ryan, Forbes, 9 Nov. 2021
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 May 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
In a blog post, Google CEO Sundar Pichai predicted the technology underlying Gemini Advanced will be able to outthink even the smartest people when tackling many complex topics.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024
By June, however, Space Force and its Combatant Command, U.S. Space Command, were recruiting tech-smart people; coordinating with international allies; deciding which technologies to buy; and running war-game simulations in which teams attack, counterattack and outthink one another.
—Ann Finkbeiner, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2020
What the talent evaluators of the Carolina Panthers saw this draft cycle was an undersized quarterback from the University of Alabama whose ability to outthink defenses outweighed his physical limitations.
—Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 28 Apr. 2023
Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmaneuver the shockingly twisted professors.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2023
Warzel offers this advice: Don’t try to outthink the robots.
—Robin Ryan, Forbes, 9 Nov. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outthink
Verb
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Several TikTok users offered their own stories of feline manipulation, turning the comment section into a community board for cat owners outwitted by their pets.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
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In reality, Israel overpowered Iran’s military and outwitted its intelligence with stunning efficiency, demonstrating years, if not decades, of careful preparation in under two weeks.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
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But occasionally, a bear outsmarts us or overcomes our defenses.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 July 2025
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Live Oak plans to use Casca as the engine behind its effort to bring transparency and structure to a part of the market known more for speed and opacity than fairness, a move that mirrors its history of outsmarting bigger rivals.—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes.com,
18 July 2025
Verb
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More than 20 children are in the custody of a Southern California child-welfare agency as authorities investigate allegations of child abuse and whether surrogate mothers were deceived by a Los Angeles-area couple.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
17 July 2025
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And then he was wishy-washy, went back and forth, and she was deceived and disappointed by him.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
15 July 2025
Verb
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The concept and storyboard work began in the late 90s, but 9/11 happened and plans to film in Africa were thwarted.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
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Norton AntiVirus Plus excels with top scores from independent labs and includes a powerful Data Protector feature to thwart ransomware attacks.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Judicial confirmations were once a slower, more contentious process, often requiring 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
14 July 2025
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For two decades, senior legislators and military leaders have been working, mostly without success, to overcome these problems.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
Verb
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The Dodgers defeated the Yankees in the 2024 World Series four games to one.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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The billionaires will spend endlessly to defeat him.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Rohit's captaincy was also in the gun, outfoxed tactically by opposite number Pat Cummins.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
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In the most iconic scene, he gets outfoxed on the subway by the French drug lord on a subway, playing cat-and-mouse on the platform.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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His impersonation is so convincing that Lu and Shin are initially fooled.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
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The Mets couldn’t pick up his slider and were fooled on his changeup.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outthink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outthink. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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