as in to outwit
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of outsmart
Fittingly for a children’s comedy (albeit one that hinges on characters being virgins), the centuries-old vampire resembles a Scooby-Doo villain in his utter inability to outsmart a group of latchkey kids.
17.
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Celia Mattison, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Much of Hinton’s worry stems from the belief that humanity knew frighteningly little about artificial intelligence—and that machines may outsmart humans.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2024
Noted for being intelligent enough to even outsmart their owners, the American Kennel Club states the breed is related to Australia's native wild dog, the Dingo.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
However, according to one prominent tipster, Samsung’s next-gen handsets will deliver a range of as-yet-unknown AI features capable of outsmarting even arch-rival Apple.
—Paul Monckton, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for outsmart 
Celia Mattison, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Much of Hinton’s worry stems from the belief that humanity knew frighteningly little about artificial intelligence—and that machines may outsmart humans.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2024
Noted for being intelligent enough to even outsmart their owners, the American Kennel Club states the breed is related to Australia's native wild dog, the Dingo.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
However, according to one prominent tipster, Samsung’s next-gen handsets will deliver a range of as-yet-unknown AI features capable of outsmarting even arch-rival Apple.
—Paul Monckton, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for outsmart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outsmart
Verb
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Some 1,600 years ago, perhaps soldiers on the easternmost edge of the empire shuffled the slim bone tokens across a board, attempting to outwit their opponents.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Jan. 2025
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Here, souls gamble years of their lives with her, daring to outwit Death herself.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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While its future hangs in the balance, Republicans have additional plans to thwart it.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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But his progress was thwarted in bizarre circumstances, relating to a break-in at his home a few weeks earlier.—
Oliver Kay,
The Athletic,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Minor leaguers and players trying to make the club out of spring can put up gaudy (deceiving) numbers against dubious competition.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2025
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The viewer may feel deceived for a moment, but most people know that trash talk is par for the course among sports fandoms.—
Emily Forlini,
PCMAG,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In response, Israel has resolved that Hamas and other extremist factions must be not just deterred but decisively defeated.—
Jane Harman,
TIME,
9 Feb. 2025
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Elsewhere in the league, Jimmy Butler made his Golden State Warriors debut, scoring 25 points to help his new team erase a 24-point third quarter deficit to defeat one of his former teams, the Chicago Bulls, 132-111.—
Issy Ronald and Jacob Lev,
CNN,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
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And Republicans control the Senate 53-47 – which is not a wide enough margin to overcome the 60-vote threshold needed to bypass the filibuster, meaning Republicans will need Democrats to avoid a shutdown.—
Riley Beggin,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
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Cognitive behavioral therapy can be an effective way to overcome a tendency to simply steer clear of your triggers.—
Angela Haupt,
TIME,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The governor’s better posture would be to concentrate on outmaneuvering and outfoxing Trump.—
David Greising,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2025
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Ultimately, the most challenging part of a campaign for Crimea may not be outfoxing Russia.—
Andriy Zagorodnyuk,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Jan. 2023
Verb
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Don’t be fooled by its cheery name: Happy Face looks haunting.—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
27 Jan. 2025
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In other words, an attacker would need to fool all or nearly all nodes to remain hidden—which quickly becomes infeasible as more light nodes join.—
Ayush Gupta,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Perhaps the shape rotators are convinced that computers can outthink us because their own minds are so impoverished.—
Becca Rothfeld,
Washington Post,
26 June 2024
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In a blog post, Google CEO Sundar Pichai predicted the technology underlying Gemini Advanced will be able to outthink even the smartest people when tackling many complex topics.—
Michael Liedtke,
Fortune,
9 Feb. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near outsmart
Cite this Entry
“Outsmart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outsmart. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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