as in outwitted
to get the better of through cleverness
the prisoners outfoxed the guards by tunneling beneath the prison walls
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of outfoxed
He was outfoxed, outplayed and frustrated by the calm version of Daniil Medvedev in 2023, and lost in straight sets to Botic van De Zandschulp in the second round last year.
—
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
No doubt remained that I’d been outfoxed.
—Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outfoxed
Verb
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Maduro has in any case outwitted dozens of attempts to depose him over the years.—
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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.—
Verb
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The Houston Texans defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 in the final game of the wild card round of the playoffs on Monday in what might be the end of the Aaron Rodgers era in the NFL.—
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The Panthers were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams, 34-31, on Saturday in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.—
Verb
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However, Cena outsmarted him by grabbing the chair, throwing it next to Dom, and pretending to be down on the mat.—
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Tuchel came to Monaco for a meeting with United’s leaders two weeks after the FA Cup final, in which Ten Hag’s side outsmarted and defeated Manchester City for a momentous win.—
Verb
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Heavy doses of match coverage take heavy doses of mental discipline, and the Broncos were outmaneuvered a few too many times by Jacksonville.—
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Ekman-Larsson was beaten for position in front of the net on the first one and then turned over the puck (and missed on a big neutral zone hit), which led to the second one as his partner, Rielly, was outmaneuvered for position in front of Dennis Hildeby.—
Verb
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Challengers should give Marylanders the option to choose a new direction and remove the need to confront the painful reality that they were deceived.—
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Trump told people that Rupert deceived him.—
Verb
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MacDonough recently thwarted an attempt to include a Boundary Waters provision in a budget reconciliation package.—
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Initial attempts to conduct a drone search were thwarted by the windstorm, and the ground operation was called off before nightfall, the agency said.—
Verb
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The first generation of Iranian revolutionaries—including octogenarians like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—have long fooled themselves about their future.—
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Don’t be fooled by their jaw-dropping price, the bottoms deliver an expensive look thanks to their dark wash and classic cut.—
Verb
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Keldon Johnson had 27 points, Victor Wembanyama added 16 points and 14 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame 38 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists from Luka Doncic to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-91 on Wednesday night.—
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In 2017, for instance, prosecutors in Contra Costa overcame an insanity defense by William Shultz, who murdered a 9-year-old Discovery Bay boy during a sleepover and blamed it on a delusion about an impending World War III.—
Cite this Entry
“Outfoxed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outfoxed. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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