as in defeating
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 outmaneuvering
Two generals agreed with Ashley's characterization, stressing the view that on the front lines, Ukraine was outmaneuvering Russia.
—
Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 9 June 2026
Rather than overpowering them with brute force, German forces managed to defeat the French and British forces in the Battle of France (1940) by simply outmaneuvering them.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 20 May 2026
The Strategic Powerhouses These names are inspired by women who lead with their minds, outmaneuvering everyone in the room.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 19 Feb. 2026
Ian Terry won Big Brother season 14 at just 21 years old, becoming the show’s youngest champion after outmaneuvering veteran players with a quiet — but highly calculated — game.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Mamdani will lead a city of over 8 million people, the capital of media, finance and much else, whose annual budget tops $116 billion, after outmaneuvering rivals with decades more experience in a race that captured national attention.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Relay is a smart, small-scale espionage film focused on operatives outmaneuvering one another.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 9 June 2026
Rather than overpowering them with brute force, German forces managed to defeat the French and British forces in the Battle of France (1940) by simply outmaneuvering them.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 20 May 2026
The Strategic Powerhouses These names are inspired by women who lead with their minds, outmaneuvering everyone in the room.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 19 Feb. 2026
Ian Terry won Big Brother season 14 at just 21 years old, becoming the show’s youngest champion after outmaneuvering veteran players with a quiet — but highly calculated — game.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Mamdani will lead a city of over 8 million people, the capital of media, finance and much else, whose annual budget tops $116 billion, after outmaneuvering rivals with decades more experience in a race that captured national attention.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Relay is a smart, small-scale espionage film focused on operatives outmaneuvering one another.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outmaneuvering
Verb
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After defeating fellow American Kyle Daukaus, fighter Bo Nickal praised the president.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
-
Cardenas is currently running for re-election to the Board of Review, and won the Democratic primary in March, defeating former Friends of the Parks executive director Juanita Irizarry.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Bob Markle was good at outwitting violators.—
Dave Duffey,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
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Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mosquitoes just might be outsmarting us Mosquitoes may be beating us at our own game − by making repellent attractive.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
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Not for the faint-hearted, but catnip for that certain type who’s made a fortune by outsmarting competing hedge fund managers or private equity firms.—
Andrés Martinez,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Scenes at the coveted Edwards Ranch — the property Rip and Beth took over, thwarting Beulah Jackson's (Annette Bening) plans to expand her land — were filmed at the real-life Saunders Ranch in Weatherford, Texas.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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Brendan Fraser is on hand as well, playing a jerky LAPD detective who keeps stepping on Diamond’s toes, thwarting the private eye’s shrewd attempts to crack the case.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2026
Verb
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But O’Malley writes that this is deceiving.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 June 2026
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He was also accused of deceiving escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condo deposits and then misappropriated those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.—
Jay Weaver
June 6,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
Verb
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The barriers our students face have changed over the years, but our commitment to overcoming them remains the same as always.—
Albert D. Mosley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026
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Rather than scaling software, their approach focuses on overcoming physical bottlenecks—verified by the laws of physics—to build the foundational architecture for the broader space economy.—
Alexandra Vidyuk,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The other is fooling humans, particularly the dwindling number of journalists, critics, and other gatekeepers who are still capable of conferring legitimacy by paying attention.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
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After killing Minnesota’s first power play, the Avalanche opened the scoring when defenseman Sam Malinski scored his first career playoff goal, fooling Wallstedt with a rising wrist shot.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
4 May 2026
Verb
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During the McCarthy era, overreaching laws, surveillance, and public and private sector reprisals ostensibly targeted alleged communists.—
Bruce Schneier,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
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Politically, the industry was equal parts liberal and libertarian, and was perhaps best reflected by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, created to protect the denizens of cyberspace from an overreaching government.—
Jonathan Weber,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outmaneuvering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outmaneuvering. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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