as in to outwit
to get the better of through cleverness
an inexpensive security system that would likely be outsmarted by anyone with a serious interest in circumventing it
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of outsmart
But occasionally, a bear outsmarts us or overcomes our defenses.
—
Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 19 May 2025
Think about that for a moment, machines outsmarting and being cleverer than humans.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
Sunday outsmarted Adam and Hannah with a ruse at Tribal Council.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 15 May 2025
As lies unravel, Nora and Jack scramble to outsmart one another, leaving one burning question: who will come out on top in this twisted game of life and death?
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for outsmart
Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 19 May 2025
Think about that for a moment, machines outsmarting and being cleverer than humans.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
Sunday outsmarted Adam and Hannah with a ruse at Tribal Council.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 15 May 2025
As lies unravel, Nora and Jack scramble to outsmart one another, leaving one burning question: who will come out on top in this twisted game of life and death?
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for outsmart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outsmart
Verb
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Maresca outwitted counterpart Eddie Howe, too, although will still be accused by the growing critics among the fanbase of adapting his tactics too late.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
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But Lord, let not the enemy outwit your purpose, outmaneuver your move.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 May 2025
Verb
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The original show’s premise dealt with a demonic invasion being thwarted by plucky heroes in mystical samurai armor, which worked sort of like power armor.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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However, the package requires the backing of all EU members and could be thwarted by vetoes from Slovakia and Hungary, which are considered Moscow's closest allies in the EU.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
Verb
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Notably, 40 percent acknowledged faking activity to deceive monitoring systems, suggesting a struggle to maintain consistent performance outside traditional office settings.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 June 2025
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So there’s an interesting, dark comedy element to people that are deceiving themselves.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Verb
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His reign ended as another American emerged, Francis Ouimet, a mild-mannered amateur who defeated Vardon and Ted Ray in a playoff.—
Tim Corlett,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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That’s supposed to keep immigrant families safe and defeat Trump?—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Verb
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But your brain might still seek patterns to overcome.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Yet soon one is overcome by Charles Laughton’s creepy, convincing portrayal of Captain Bligh’s sadomasochism: most of the first fifteen minutes is taken up with floggings and other shipboard disciplining of half-naked men, shown in detail while Laughton looks on with long-lipped lasciviousness.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Verb
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Rohit's captaincy was also in the gun, outfoxed tactically by opposite number Pat Cummins.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
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In the most iconic scene, he gets outfoxed on the subway by the French drug lord on a subway, playing cat-and-mouse on the platform.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Reyes was a nice spring training story, but the Yankees were fooled by meaningless February and March stats.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
8 June 2025
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But don't be fooled, as these texts are sophisticated scams designed to steal your personal information or money.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Either way, in a world where everything can be faked — intelligence, emotion, even purpose — the real danger isn’t that AI will outthink us.—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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And if this isn’t an isolated incident, then this presents a huge problem for the remnants of humanity, most of whom have survived through a mixture of luck and simply being able to outthink these single-minded creatures.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
13 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outsmart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outsmart. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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