as in defeating
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 outmaneuvering
The Strategic Powerhouses These names are inspired by women who lead with their minds, outmaneuvering everyone in the room.
—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 19 Feb. 2026
Ian Terry won Big Brother season 14 at just 21 years old, becoming the show’s youngest champion after outmaneuvering veteran players with a quiet — but highly calculated — game.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Mamdani will lead a city of over 8 million people, the capital of media, finance and much else, whose annual budget tops $116 billion, after outmaneuvering rivals with decades more experience in a race that captured national attention.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Relay is a smart, small-scale espionage film focused on operatives outmaneuvering one another.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 19 Feb. 2026
Ian Terry won Big Brother season 14 at just 21 years old, becoming the show’s youngest champion after outmaneuvering veteran players with a quiet — but highly calculated — game.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Mamdani will lead a city of over 8 million people, the capital of media, finance and much else, whose annual budget tops $116 billion, after outmaneuvering rivals with decades more experience in a race that captured national attention.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Relay is a smart, small-scale espionage film focused on operatives outmaneuvering one another.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outmaneuvering
Verb
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In large part because the only feeling more satisfying than defeating your enemies is that of defeating your friends.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
-
When the Lakers last came to Houston, defeating the Rockets twice in three days, Rockets coach Ime Udoka appeared to tell Redick to put Bronny James in the game.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bob Markle was good at outwitting violators.—
Dave Duffey,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
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Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Not for the faint-hearted, but catnip for that certain type who’s made a fortune by outsmarting competing hedge fund managers or private equity firms.—
Andrés Martinez,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
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There’s no outsmarting capitalism.—
Kyle Cheromcha,
The Drive,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In long form, the writers can pack enough globe-spanning spy games, adrenaline-spiking set pieces, and terrorist-thwarting action to keep even James Bond – or Jack Bauer, or Jason Bourne – busy.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
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Mostly, Julian and Lori take turns thwarting his obnoxious kids and threatening to quit.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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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More Than One Way to Survive in Business Entrepreneurs have been positioned to accept that overcoming the competition is the only way to succeed in business, but there may be other paths forward.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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The Blackbeard project aims to achieve all this while overcoming the obstacles that have hindered previous attempts at hypersonic weaponry.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
27 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, Dombeck is cautious about overreaching on BTSP’s significance.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
24 Apr. 2026
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The bill’s supporters frame it as a blow against overregulation, viewing it as a necessary bulwark against (supposedly) overreaching state animal welfare standards like Question 3.—
John Cleveland,
Boston Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outmaneuvering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outmaneuvering. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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