outsmart

[out-smahrt]

verb (used with object)

1. to get the better of (someone); outwit.

outsmart

/ ˌaʊtˈsmɑːt /

verb

1. informal,  (tr) to get the better of; outwit

Word History and Origins

Origin of outsmart¹

1925–30; out- + smart (adj.)

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. outsmart oneself, to defeat oneself unintentionally by overly elaborate intrigue, scheming, or the like.

   This time he may have outsmarted himself.

Example Sentences

Rare hyena behaviours have been caught on camera, including a mother-to-be trying to steal food from wild dogs and outsmarting rivals by hiding a stolen carcass underwater to mask its scent.

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It’s a macroeconomic version of the pain described by the Moneyist reader, and others like him, who believe that they are being outsmarted and out-earned by their neighbors at every turn.

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It’s a macroeconomic version of the pain described by the Moneyist reader, and others like him, who believe that they are being outsmarted and out-earned by their neighbors at every turn.

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In addition, unlike chemical alternatives that mosquitoes have gradually become resistant to, this biological approach may be nearly impossible for mosquitoes to outsmart or avoid.

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The inclination is understandable; computers could outsmart humans trying to pull scams and catch them, all without the added layer of a perpetual risk of human error.

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Related Words

• baffle 
• bamboozle 
• circumvent 
• deceive 
• outdo 
• outfox 
• outmaneuver