as in defeated
to get the better of through cleverness
outmaneuvered his congressional opponent by co-opting his call for change in Washington
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Recent Examples of outmaneuvered
The ferocity of their scenes together, aided by Arias’ devoted yet outmaneuvered Thea, sets the production ablaze with erotic danger.
—
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Paramount, which was outmaneuvered by Netflix last December, has received a warmer response from WBD this week and the two media companies are continuing to negotiate.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Washington maintained order among his demoralized troops.
—Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
But he was outmaneuvered by a bipartisan groundswell of support from lawmakers and the public, and eventually dropped his opposition.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
We are frequently being outmaneuvered, crushed, or ignored.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Heavy doses of match coverage take heavy doses of mental discipline, and the Broncos were outmaneuvered a few too many times by Jacksonville.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025
Ekman-Larsson was beaten for position in front of the net on the first one and then turned over the puck (and missed on a big neutral zone hit), which led to the second one as his partner, Rielly, was outmaneuvered for position in front of Dennis Hildeby.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
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
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Paramount, which was outmaneuvered by Netflix last December, has received a warmer response from WBD this week and the two media companies are continuing to negotiate.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Washington maintained order among his demoralized troops.
—Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
But he was outmaneuvered by a bipartisan groundswell of support from lawmakers and the public, and eventually dropped his opposition.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
We are frequently being outmaneuvered, crushed, or ignored.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Heavy doses of match coverage take heavy doses of mental discipline, and the Broncos were outmaneuvered a few too many times by Jacksonville.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025
Ekman-Larsson was beaten for position in front of the net on the first one and then turned over the puck (and missed on a big neutral zone hit), which led to the second one as his partner, Rielly, was outmaneuvered for position in front of Dennis Hildeby.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outmaneuvered
Verb
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In their most recent matchup, UCI defeated the Aztecs, 55-45, at Viejas Arena in the first round of the 2023 WNIT.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
16 Mar. 2026
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The Blue Devils defeated Florida, Arkansas, Kansas and Michigan State, among others.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Probst, who grew up in the Seattle area and started his career here, is synonymous with the show that’s outlasted (and outwitted, and outplayed) any TV counterpart.—
Paige Cornwell,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
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Maduro has in any case outwitted dozens of attempts to depose him over the years.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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He gets outsmarted by Forst and trapped in a symbiotic relationship where has to work for the world’s worst man to see his discovery come to fruition.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
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However, ancient mythology is filled with examples of crafty foxes being outsmarted by their own traps.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Residents should not be deceived by the unsupported and absurd revenue claims of the Moore administration.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Mar. 2026
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So some people got deceived and believed it.—
Chierstin Roth,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For the past six years, attempts by Chinese companies to invest in India had been thwarted by a web of security clearances from India's foreign and home ministries.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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Gustavsson also thwarted an early 2-on-0 rush by the Golden Knights.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
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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No doubt remained that I’d been outfoxed.—
Charles Elliott,
Outdoor Life,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Tatum then isolated against the Spurs big man, fooled him with an up-fake, finished at the rim and smiled after being shoved to the ground.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
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This time, most Americans haven’t been fooled, and that gives me hope.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The defense argued that the encounters were consensual and that the government had overreached.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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Democrats and liberals strongly believe Trump has overreached yet again — albeit not in quite such egregious terms — by inveighing against Bad Bunny.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outmaneuvered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outmaneuvered. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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