fake out

verb

Definition of fake outnext
1
as in to trick
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 to evade
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fake out Jokic faked out multiple Cavs defenders in transition by turning his head toward an open Murray on the left wing, only to fire a no-look pass to Christian Braun under the basket. — Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2024 Torre faked out left back Josh Wildon-Esbrand and rocketed his shot into the back of the net to give the Spanish side the lead heading into halftime. — Kyle Foley, Orlando Sentinel, 31 July 2024 The discography deep-dive portion of the set list kicked off with something of a fake out. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 Along the way, there’s illegitimate children, fake out deaths, and just about every soap opera cliché imaginable wrapped in gloriously stupid fun. — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2024 See All Example Sentences for fake out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fake out
  1. trick
  2. evade
  3. fool
  4. fake
  5. deceive
  6. string along
  7. suck in
Verb
  • Increasingly, criminals are able to use commonly available tools to launch sophisticated phishing scams, going as far as digitally replicating faces and voices in order to trick security systems.
    — Bernard Marr, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Phishing is a cyber-attack that aims to trick people into divulging personal information.
    — Solcyré Burga, TIME, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of trick
Verb
  • Van Lith has competed in four conference title games over the span of her career, but this was the first time the title didn’t evade her.
    — Allison Smith, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
  • Until further data can be confirmed, Intuitive Machines will be hoping Athena will evade meeting similar fate.
    — Gayoung Lee, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of evade
Verb
  • Do not be fooled by this bill’s carve-out for masks worn for health and religious reasons.
    — Nikki Morse, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2025
  • This pair looks like a classic trouser, with front pleats and a relaxed leg — but don’t be fooled.
    — Genevieve Cepeda, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of fool
Verb
  • Even in the spring of 2026, despite the deepfake hype, many people still believe live audio and video cannot be faked.
    — Alex Vakulov, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
  • Crime: Police officers outside Denver accused a man of faking a seizure in order to steal bulldogs from a pet store.
    — Matthew Cullen, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Definition of fake
Verb
  • But appearances can be deceiving because there's a lot of bright side here.
    — Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Trips down memory lane, especially when Star Wars video games are involved, can be deceiving.
    — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of deceive
Verb
  • Or will we just get strung along, like so many shows have done to us in the past?
    — Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 26 Jan. 2025
  • To be sure, there are risks that Iran could use negotiations to string along the international community, seek to divide the United States and Europe with counterproposals, and deflect further sanctions.
    — Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2011
Definition of string along
Verb
  • Drive through deep water, and your diffs may also suck in a little bit of moisture, slowly polluting the oil that lubricates them.
    — Wes Siler, Outside Online, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Related article Engaging your core is not the same as sucking in your belly.
    — Dana Santas, CNN, 12 Jan. 2025
Definition of suck in

Browse Nearby Words

faked out
fake out
faker
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Cite this Entry

“Fake out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake%20out. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

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