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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fake out
In the 80th minute, Denkey received an assist from Ender Echenique, faking out goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos before finishing with his left foot between a pair of defenders.
—
ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026
Drake preferred to fake out a defender and run right by them.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2026
Among the highlights was Dart taking off in the first quarter, faking out several Eagles defenders, and running to the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for fake out
ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026
Drake preferred to fake out a defender and run right by them.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2026
Among the highlights was Dart taking off in the first quarter, faking out several Eagles defenders, and running to the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for fake out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fake out
Verb
-
Fortunately, unlike Deborah’s scheme to use Ava and pose as a lesbian couple to trick Burnett’s white jumpsuit off an old comedy rival (Cherry Jones), the problem wasn’t one of ownership, but of size.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
-
An apparel site from FBI director Kash Patel has been spotted trying to trick macOS users into installing malware.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
Deception is used to evade responsibility, manipulate a partner or conceal betrayal.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
My muscles on fire with tension, sleep evaded me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Don’t be fooled into thinking napkin rings aren’t noticed.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
18 May 2026
-
But this case shows how quickly a 401(k) can become a target when someone has enough personal information to fool a call center or reset account access.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Stan had faked his death in a fire, abandoning his wife and two children.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
-
Papini wasn't arrested until March 2022, when the FBI accused her of lying to federal agents and faking her own kidnapping.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
He was also accused of deceiving escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condominium deposits and then misappropriated those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
-
For Arjun Singri, founder of Scamless, this has created a new kind of digital arms race, where the same technology driving progress is also being used to deceive people at scale.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The brand’s beaded bikinis and one-pieces stay relatively streamlined in silhouette, but are adorned with playful rainbow beads strung along straps and ties, translating its accessory language into a new category.—
Lauren Fisher,
Footwear News,
19 May 2026
-
Last fall, loops of razor-wire fencing were strung along the Rio Grande in the Big Bend area, a remote region of far West Texas.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
This colorful shooter game will suck in hours of your time as there's tons of content to explore in the open-world like side quests and dungeons.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
22 May 2026
-
Helicopters hover over the HeloPod, then suck in water through a snorkel-like device.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fake out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake%20out. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
