as in to outwit
to get the better of through cleverness
the prisoners outfoxed the guards by tunneling beneath the prison walls
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of outfox
Japan, outfoxed by the stealthy maneuverer in the White House, had to recede.
—
Robert W. Merry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
The governor’s better posture would be to concentrate on outmaneuvering and outfoxing Trump.
—David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
Situated in one of the game's smallest media markets, the Padres under General Manager A.J. Preller have spent lavishly and made a series of splashy acquisitions, but keep getting outfoxed by their upstate rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
—David Faris, theweek, 5 Sep. 2024
Here, Shyamalan has similar intentions: His movie would be nothing without Hartnett’s serial killer outfoxing his pursuers, slipping past one security barrier after another, stealing access badges willy-nilly and engineering his daughter’s onstage appearance with her idol.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for outfox
Robert W. Merry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
The governor’s better posture would be to concentrate on outmaneuvering and outfoxing Trump.
—David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
Situated in one of the game's smallest media markets, the Padres under General Manager A.J. Preller have spent lavishly and made a series of splashy acquisitions, but keep getting outfoxed by their upstate rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
—David Faris, theweek, 5 Sep. 2024
Here, Shyamalan has similar intentions: His movie would be nothing without Hartnett’s serial killer outfoxing his pursuers, slipping past one security barrier after another, stealing access badges willy-nilly and engineering his daughter’s onstage appearance with her idol.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for outfox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outfox
Verb
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James Best played Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane, the comic-relief lawman constantly outwitted by the Dukes.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
5 July 2025
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While Brooklyn attorney Kyle Fraser ultimately outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted the competition to claim the $1 million prize in a nail-biting 5-2-1 jury vote, our local hero, Mitch Guerra, ended his Fijian adventure as the seventh member of the jury.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Preston Fore Economy Top economist who previously sounded the alarm on tariffs sees a possible scenario where Trump 'outsmarted all of us' Jason Ma Leadership Modelo Especial soared to be the #1 beer in America.—
Christiaan Hetzner,
Fortune,
21 June 2025
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Their only chance at survival lies in outsmarting a devastating new enemy: the German flamethrower incinerating everything in its path.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
14 May 2025
Verb
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Russia's ambitions to produce more military aircraft are being thwarted by a shortage of components caused by sanctions and a growing labor shortage, it has been reported.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 July 2025
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The Sydney Project team had their first dive attempt thwarted by weather conditions, but their second attempt on June 18 proved successful.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Step two: Defend against junk fees These nefarious fees are designed either to confuse or deceive consumers.—
Jill Schlesinger,
Mercury News,
7 July 2025
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Several state legislators and other state officials will testify that they were deceived by the conspirators regarding the operations of Phoenix Solutions, according to prosecutors.—
Evan Mealins,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Verb
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The Dodgers defeated the Yankees in the 2024 World Series four games to one.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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Buhari defeated Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 in what was judged to be Nigeria's fairest election to date.—
Benjamin Ezeamalu,
USA Today,
14 July 2025
Verb
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There can be ways to overcome the objections of the people who are concerned that new technology will make their jobs obsolete.—
Edward Segal,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
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Meanwhile, a college in the U.K. has now stepped up and started offering classes on making and taking phone calls to help Gen Z overcome this fear.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
4 July 2025
Verb
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The speech also tackled an issue that has foxed previous governments: reforming the House of Lords.—
Jill Lawless,
The Christian Science Monitor,
17 July 2024
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Raccoon: Raccoon is very similar to fox but rarely comes in any other colors besides that of a typical raccoon which is naturally ombré.—
Liana Satenstein,
Marie Claire,
13 Feb. 2014
Cite this Entry
“Outfox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outfox. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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