1
as in to trick
to cause to believe what is untrue
my friends faked me out for a whole day, letting me think that they had forgotten my birthday
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to evade
to elude (an opponent in a sports contest) by making a deceptive or agile movement
used a quick between-the-legs dribble to fake out the flat-footed defender
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fake out
Old Dominion started fast, with quarterback Colton Joseph faking out the Hoosiers defense on the first offensive play of the game and sprinting 75 yards for a touchdown.
—
Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
The plan is to fake out territorial wasps who will avoid an area where other wasps already reside.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 26 Aug. 2025
Instead, Baty double-clutched as if trying to fake out Smith.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 6 June 2025
Near the end of the run, Fiske made a terrific move to fake out a would-be tackler.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fake out
Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
The plan is to fake out territorial wasps who will avoid an area where other wasps already reside.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 26 Aug. 2025
Instead, Baty double-clutched as if trying to fake out Smith.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 6 June 2025
Near the end of the run, Fiske made a terrific move to fake out a would-be tackler.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fake out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fake out
Verb
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But a new study suggests that, in certain organs, tumors actively communicate with the brain to trick it into protecting them.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
4 Feb. 2026
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Experts say such scam operations in Cambodia and elsewhere have cheated people around the world out of billions of dollars and tricked people from many countries to work in them under slave-like conditions.—
Sakchai Lalit,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Somehow their petition—miraculously evading Confederate interception and traveling, via the Bahamas, to Washington—arrived on the Navy secretary’s desk, though they likely weren’t released until the end of the war.—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
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Edwards, who trains such police departments as the New York Police Department on drone threat mitigation, points to fiber-optic drones that can evade radio frequency detection systems as a particular concern.—
Anna Schecter,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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These ads may not have fooled as many of us as their makers seemed to think.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Feb. 2026
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And don’t let the utilities and their friends fool you.—
Kendall Keelen,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the current digital age where images and sound can be so easily faked, a real-time, two-way interaction between the victim and the family provides the highest level of confidence that the person claiming to hold Nancy is legitimate.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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On the clean breakaway, Eyssimont faked Bobrovsky to the ice and then tucked it around the netminder’s skate for his eighth.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Is someone attempting to deceive you?—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
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Your eyes aren't deceiving you.—
Jessica Farthing,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mario Campos would build and work on houses well into his 70s, including a string along SW 25th Street in Miami that belonged to his extended family.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
17 Jan. 2026
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Christmas lights glow above, strung along the streetlamps, incongruous against the heavy security presence that dominates the scene.—
Keir Simmons,
NBC news,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Lauren, who might also have been Catholic, sucked in her breath.—
Nell Freudenberger,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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When its minuscule trigger hairs are touched, the trapdoor flips open, and the tiny victim is sucked in along with water in milliseconds before the door closes again.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fake out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake%20out. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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