as in defeated
to get the better of through cleverness
outmaneuvered his congressional opponent by co-opting his call for change in Washington
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Recent Examples of outmaneuvered
Soon, the European LNGs might find themselves being outmaneuvered by others, such as China.
—
Ike Brannon, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Beyond Curaçao, regulators have largely fumbled in their efforts to rein in the offshore casino sector, outmaneuvered by nimble operators who exploit the gap between national laws and enforcement power.
—Cecilia D'anastasio, Bloomberg, 27 Feb. 2026
The ferocity of their scenes together, aided by Arias’ devoted yet outmaneuvered Thea, sets the production ablaze with erotic danger.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Paramount, which was outmaneuvered by Netflix last December, has received a warmer response from WBD this week and the two media companies are continuing to negotiate.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Washington maintained order among his demoralized troops.
—Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
But he was outmaneuvered by a bipartisan groundswell of support from lawmakers and the public, and eventually dropped his opposition.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
We are frequently being outmaneuvered, crushed, or ignored.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Heavy doses of match coverage take heavy doses of mental discipline, and the Broncos were outmaneuvered a few too many times by Jacksonville.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025
Ike Brannon, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Beyond Curaçao, regulators have largely fumbled in their efforts to rein in the offshore casino sector, outmaneuvered by nimble operators who exploit the gap between national laws and enforcement power.
—Cecilia D'anastasio, Bloomberg, 27 Feb. 2026
The ferocity of their scenes together, aided by Arias’ devoted yet outmaneuvered Thea, sets the production ablaze with erotic danger.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Paramount, which was outmaneuvered by Netflix last December, has received a warmer response from WBD this week and the two media companies are continuing to negotiate.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Washington maintained order among his demoralized troops.
—Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
But he was outmaneuvered by a bipartisan groundswell of support from lawmakers and the public, and eventually dropped his opposition.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
We are frequently being outmaneuvered, crushed, or ignored.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Heavy doses of match coverage take heavy doses of mental discipline, and the Broncos were outmaneuvered a few too many times by Jacksonville.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outmaneuvered
Verb
-
Atletico earned a spot in the final four courtesy of a quarter-final victory against Spanish rivals Barcelona, while Arsenal defeated Portuguese side Sporting CP.—
The Athletic Live Team,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Huarte defeated Woodbridge senior Brady Tallakson 7-6 (3), 6-1 in the CIF boys final at Libbey Park to capture the title one year after falling in the championship match.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Towering over the town is another, much bigger, Venetian fort, the Palamidhi (named after Palamedes, Nafplio’s legendarily clever local hero, who outwitted Odysseus and, well, didn’t live long enough to regret it).—
Helen Brown,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Twenty-six years ago, students treated a visit by then-President Bill Clinton as a challenge, and outwitted the Secret Service by secretly rigging a banner to unfurl at an inopportune moment.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of drafting franchise cornerstones in JaMarr Chase or Penei Sewell, ex-GM Chris Grier outsmarted himself.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The struggle resonated with parents on Reddit, many of whom admitted they have been outsmarted by their own baby gear.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But some were also deceived or coerced.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Musk, who had donated at least $38 million to the lab, wanted to be CEO and gain majority control, but felt deceived after a power struggle with Altman over the role.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Earlier, in 1983, a plot by the IRA to bomb a Duran Duran concert at the Dominion Theatre with the intention of targeting then Prince Charles and Princess Diana was thwarted.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ plans to upend childhood vaccination requirements continues to be thwarted by his fellow Republicans.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Liv Morgan begged for a tag, but she was outfoxed by a blind tag from Rhea Ripley.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
No doubt remained that I’d been outfoxed.—
Charles Elliott,
Outdoor Life,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
He had been fooled a couple of times by the slider during the sequence but didn’t miss the third one Sasaki threw him.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 30th minute with a shot that deflected on an Alaves defender and fooled goalkeeper Antonio Sivera.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The defense argued that the encounters were consensual and that the government had overreached.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Democrats and liberals strongly believe Trump has overreached yet again — albeit not in quite such egregious terms — by inveighing against Bad Bunny.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outmaneuvered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outmaneuvered. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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