as in outwitted
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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Recent Examples of outsmarted
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
In each of these cases, a tech company outsmarted a human—or several—either by producing text convincing enough to pass the smell test, or by creating and marketing a service that convinced a writer to offload part of their labor.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
He gets outsmarted by Forst and trapped in a symbiotic relationship where has to work for the world’s worst man to see his discovery come to fruition.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
However, ancient mythology is filled with examples of crafty foxes being outsmarted by their own traps.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
However, Cena outsmarted him by grabbing the chair, throwing it next to Dom, and pretending to be down on the mat.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
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.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2025
Incensed at being outsmarted, the CEO of Weyland-Yutani (Sandra Yi Sencindive) allows one of her employees, a cyborg with very few scruples named Morrow (Babou Ceesay), to use any means necessary to reacquire the biological specimens.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
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
In each of these cases, a tech company outsmarted a human—or several—either by producing text convincing enough to pass the smell test, or by creating and marketing a service that convinced a writer to offload part of their labor.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
He gets outsmarted by Forst and trapped in a symbiotic relationship where has to work for the world’s worst man to see his discovery come to fruition.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
However, ancient mythology is filled with examples of crafty foxes being outsmarted by their own traps.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
However, Cena outsmarted him by grabbing the chair, throwing it next to Dom, and pretending to be down on the mat.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
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.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2025
Incensed at being outsmarted, the CEO of Weyland-Yutani (Sandra Yi Sencindive) allows one of her employees, a cyborg with very few scruples named Morrow (Babou Ceesay), to use any means necessary to reacquire the biological specimens.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outsmarted
Verb
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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
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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
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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
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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
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But some were also deceived or coerced.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
Verb
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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
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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
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Liv Morgan begged for a tag, but she was outfoxed by a blind tag from Rhea Ripley.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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No doubt remained that I’d been outfoxed.—
Charles Elliott,
Outdoor Life,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Trojans overcame a 9-8 third-quarter deficit to gain a repeat visit to the final.—
Glae Thien,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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The Michael Jackson movie overcame poor reviews and production problems to achieve a record-breaking opening weekend at the box office.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outsmarted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outsmarted. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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