1
as in deceiving
to cause to believe what is untrue
my friends faked me out for a whole day, letting me think that they had forgotten my birthday
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in evading
to elude (an opponent in a sports contest) by making a deceptive or agile movement
used a quick between-the-legs dribble to fake out the flat-footed defender
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of faking out
In the 80th minute, Denkey received an assist from Ender Echenique, faking out goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos before finishing with his left foot between a pair of defenders.
—
ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026
Among the highlights was Dart taking off in the first quarter, faking out several Eagles defenders, and running to the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Old Dominion started fast, with quarterback Colton Joseph faking out the Hoosiers defense on the first offensive play of the game and sprinting 75 yards for a touchdown.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026
Among the highlights was Dart taking off in the first quarter, faking out several Eagles defenders, and running to the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Old Dominion started fast, with quarterback Colton Joseph faking out the Hoosiers defense on the first offensive play of the game and sprinting 75 yards for a touchdown.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faking out
Verb
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Swalwell apparently did an excellent job deceiving those around him, including some congressional and campaign staffers who’d known him for years and worked closely with the seven-term lawmaker, day in, day out.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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The Mets have a responsibility to protect their players by not throwing them under the bus, but there are ways to do that without trying to convince people that their eyes are deceiving them.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Jones faces charges for property theft, money laundering and evading arrest, the release stated.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Apr. 2026
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Poole was arrested by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Unit on May 31, 2024, after spending months evading law enforcement.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Deed theft is when a scammer steals someone's home, often by forging documents or tricking someone into signing over a deed.—
Tim McNicholas,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
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After tricking her way into her dream job, Liza discovers that disguising herself as a millennial and keeping her two lives separate is a job in and of itself.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But anyone in the auto industry who didn’t feel like something was going to happen in China five years ago was fooling themselves.—
Jamie Lincoln Kitman,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
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Politicians are fooling themselves about the political power of health-conscious moms.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, while there may be no blood sucking in this particular novel, that doesn’t mean that the adaptation doesn’t have Rice’s trademark sensuality.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
12 Nov. 2025
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Julia thinks so too, and presses in, sucking in a breath when Ellen mentions Fairy Hill and how people dance into the nights and wake up a hundred years later.—
Lincee Ray Published,
EW.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Instead, BeachLife is built around creating a culture and a sense of community, with an eclectic lineup designed so fans can find something to enjoy while taking in the Redondo Beach waterfront.—
Alex Distefano,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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Mendoza spoke earlier this week on The Rich Eisen Show about how his family factored into the decision of taking in the draft from home.—
Jaclyn Hendricks,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Correspondent Seth Doane travels to Amsterdam, Paris, Venice and Portofino to look at the impacts that tourism is having on cities, resorts and natural attractions, and why some people are resisting visitors – or redefining tourism – in some of the world's most popular and fragile destinations.—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
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So what impact are tariffs having on small businesses, and how are larger retailers able to skirt their impact?—
Shawn Baldwin,
CNBC,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Just kidding, but that would’ve been awesome.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
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The interviewer said that Phillips, 65, was not kidding.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Faking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faking%20out. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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