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
Perhaps it’s born of the arrogance of power, but they nevertheless continually get outsmarted on one of the few issues where the GOP can make headway.
—
Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 1 June 2025
Instead, Heller outsmarts him by secretly luring Schiller's ship into Finnish waters after tipping off the Finnish Navy and Interpol, who promptly commandeer the vessel and arrest him.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2025
So long as Sean McVay’s football obsession doesn’t burn him out, the Rams can outsmart most NFL teams.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2025
But occasionally, a bear outsmarts us or overcomes our defenses.
—Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for outsmart
Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 1 June 2025
Instead, Heller outsmarts him by secretly luring Schiller's ship into Finnish waters after tipping off the Finnish Navy and Interpol, who promptly commandeer the vessel and arrest him.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2025
So long as Sean McVay’s football obsession doesn’t burn him out, the Rams can outsmart most NFL teams.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2025
But occasionally, a bear outsmarts us or overcomes our defenses.
—Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for outsmart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outsmart
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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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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Still, a measure of the high stakes came during the women’s final, when Anisimova was clearly overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment, and Świątek defeated her, 6–0, 6–0, in under an hour.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
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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Others tolerate challenging growing conditions, like heat and drought, or were bred to overcome common problems such as heavy soil.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
4 July 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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His impersonation is so convincing that Lu and Shin are initially fooled.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
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The Mets couldn’t pick up his slider and were fooled on his changeup.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
13 July 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 Jul. 2025.
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