outsmart
Americanverb (used with object)
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outsmarts,
present (3rd person singular)
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outsmarted,
past participle, past
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outsmarting
present participle
idioms
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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outsmartsimple
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outsmartssimple
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have outsmartedperfect
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has outsmartedperfect
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am outsmartingprogressive
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are outsmartingprogressive
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is outsmartingprogressive
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have been outsmartingperfect progressive
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has been outsmartingperfect progressive
Past
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outsmartedsimple
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had outsmartedperfect
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was outsmartingprogressive
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were outsmartingprogressive
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had been outsmartingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of outsmart
Explanation
When you outsmart someone, you use your cleverness or intelligence to defeat them in some way. The roadrunner will always outsmart the coyote, at least according to Saturday morning cartoons. When two countries are negotiating with each other, they're often each trying to outsmart the other — to maneuver in a way that gives them the better deal. A game of chess is all about which player can strategize better, or who can outsmart their opponent. And classic TV detectives use their wit to outsmart the bad guys by the end of each episode.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
An A.I. that can refine its own code—what experts call recursive self-improvement—could also outsmart human efforts to control it.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
“This story may outlast me,” she wrote. “but it’s not going to outlast or outsmart that little girl.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
We also delve into the divorce memoir sending women to their financial advisers, how to outsmart AI productivity trackers and the sleepy Portuguese beach town that might not stay that way for long.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Rohl did engineer a turnaround against Wilfried Nancy's Celtic at the start of 2026, but has yet to outsmart Martin O'Neill, ceding a 2-0 lead in the last league derby.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
“And I could outsmart you with one brain tied behind mine!”
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
“Maybe that’s post-AGI, once we’ve achieved the mission,” he said, referring to the moment when AI outsmarts humans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
Like “Red Eye,” “Drop” is a brisk and breathtaking thriller where the woman outsmarts her persecutor at every turn, despite her past traumas.
From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2025
Napoleon outsmarts the Austrian army in 1805 by luring fighters onto a snow-covered frozen lake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2024
He’s a drop-back passer with underrated pocket mobility, perfect mechanics and he simply outsmarts everyone else on the field.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 5, 2018
This month, the novel Dahl eventually published, about a 5-year-old genius with telekinetic powers who outsmarts her nincompoop parents and repugnant headmistress, celebrates its 25 anniversary.
From Slate ● Apr. 5, 2013
Italian banker Andrea Orcel did something few thought possible: He outsmarted the Germans on their home turf.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
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.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2025
In Sudan’s case, she has outsmarted the risk of succumbing to tradition, and the freedom has raised and mellowed all stakes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2025
No, he outsmarted him in periods over 24 rounds.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2023
He liked the name Jerry, because it was the same as that funny mouse in the old cartoons, the one who always outsmarted the cat.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
Plus, outsmarting AI productivity trackers, finding love on LinkedIn and the memoir prompting women to rethink their finances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"It's classic 80s adventure fare, in the best way: kids outsmarting adults, lashings of humour and a surprising amount of heart," the Standard's Vicky Jessop gushed.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2025
It was a classic case of the Dodgers’ renowned brain trust outsmarting themselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2024
"Dumb Money" depicts working class people outsmarting some of the richest financial minds and companies in the country.
From Salon ● Dec. 1, 2023
She blinks a few times, clearly outsmarting me.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
