as in to outsmart
to get the better of through cleverness
a plan to outwit their opponents at their own game
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of outwit
Maduro has in any case outwitted dozens of attempts to depose him over the years.
—
Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Time and Numbers—there’s no outwitting them.
—Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
To win, the contestants must outwit their opponents and identify the suspect, location and murder weapon of the crime.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
Though Penn State had a key injury with linebacker Tony Rojas sidelined, Knowles was also outwitted by Neuheisel, who only took over the role for the Bruins earlier this week.
—Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for outwit
Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Time and Numbers—there’s no outwitting them.
—Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
To win, the contestants must outwit their opponents and identify the suspect, location and murder weapon of the crime.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
Though Penn State had a key injury with linebacker Tony Rojas sidelined, Knowles was also outwitted by Neuheisel, who only took over the role for the Bruins earlier this week.
—Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for outwit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outwit
Verb
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There’s also the Travelon Anti-theft Classic Mini Shoulder Bag designed to outsmart pickpockets, plus the Taygeer Travel Backpack that can easily replace your carry-on.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Jan. 2026
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Williams did not play the cool heel or try to outsmart everyone.—
Rob Wolkenbrod,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Washington maintained order among his demoralized troops.—
Christopher Magra,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2026
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Frady is caught in something confusing and unexpected, his stance of paranoid preparedness unable to outmaneuver this, and what’s coming.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the 27th minute, diving to his left to thwart Juninho Vieira.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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The Prince and Princess of Wales’ statement came ahead of William’s three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, which kicked off on Monday—likely in an attempt to thwart any questions about the issue while the future king is abroad.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
10 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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The Magic rallied from 17 points down to win 120-117, but the Jazz defeated the Heat 115-111.—
Mark Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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The Cyclones, who are 13-0 at Hilton Coliseum this season, have defeated the Jayhawks three straight years in the building.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tian Feng, former dean of SenseTime’s Intelligence Industry Research Institute, revealed that the free provision of T800 robots will help smaller companies overcome research and development barriers.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
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The first obstacle to overcome is to develop a computer chip that works in the extreme conditions of space, which includes exposure to much higher levels of radiation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 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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But even foxes can outfox themselves by their own designs.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
20 Jan. 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
Cite this Entry
“Outwit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outwit. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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