as in defeated
to get the better of through cleverness
a plan to outwit their opponents at their own game
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Recent Examples of outwitted
Though Penn State had a key injury with linebacker Tony Rojas sidelined, Knowles was also outwitted by Neuheisel, who only took over the role for the Bruins earlier this week.
—
Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outwitted
Verb
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Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has not defeated Barcelona in La Liga play since October 2021.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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Oregon defeated Wisconsin 21-7 in front of 58,940 fans at Autzen Stadium.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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This solution also outsmarted existing industry tools like Gurobi on large-scale delivery simulations.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Despite being deceived, Stone, who dated Garfield for four years, conceded that the actor's dedication to the secret was honorable.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
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According to Chinese sources, one of its electronic warfare (EW) systems has successfully deceived a foreign spy plane over the South China Sea.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But that decision has been thwarted by regulations in Flanders, Belgium, which has a ban on incinerating reusable medical devices.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
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Sawyer Robertson hit Kole Wilson with a 35-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left, and Baylor recovered an onside kick before Robertson threw an interception that thwarted the comeback.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Footage released by the Philippine government shows a Chinese coast guard cutter colliding with a People's Liberation Army Navy destroyer after being outmaneuvered by a Philippine fisheries bureau vessel.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
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That one of the biggest and most economically central industries got outmaneuvered by a sector that was, until recently, on the fringes speaks to the new pecking order.—
Rachel Witkowski,
semafor.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ultimately, the quarterback fooled the Raiders into thinking the team wasn't going to go for it.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid showed off a clever trick play on Sunday that fooled more than just the opposing Las Vegas Raiders.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He was outfoxed, outplayed and frustrated by the calm version of Daniil Medvedev in 2023, and lost in straight sets to Botic van De Zandschulp in the second round last year.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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No doubt remained that I’d been outfoxed.—
Charles Elliott,
Outdoor Life,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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How Tielemans overcame early toils is often used as a source of encouragement by new additions who seem peripheral at first.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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Bernal says Mamdani overcame Cuomo's attacks over his relatively thin resume by offering big progressive ideas, like freezing apartment rents and offering free city bus service, that appeal to many young voters.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outwitted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outwitted. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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