outfox
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of outfox
Explanation
To outfox someone is to defeat them at something using quick thinking or sneaky tricks. Some of the most popular fictional detectives cleverly outfox their foes. You can attempt to outfox your opponent at poker using tricky strategies and bluffs. A political candidate can also try to outfox a rival, either through smart debate tactics or sneakier, more underhanded means. Outfox has been used in this way since the 1930s, from the old-fashioned verb fox, "to delude or deceive," which stems from the idea (popular in folklore) of foxes being wily or tricky.
Vocabulary lists containing outfox
Promises to Keep
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"Dragon, Dragon"
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Black Swan Green
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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.
The Na’vi strategy—Viet Cong-like—is to outfox them with their low-tech, nature-friendly, home-field-advantage energy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025
But at the other end of the spectrum are "the strategies of resistance that teens deploy to outfox their parents", she points out.
From BBC • May 7, 2024
China has also added more road- and rail-mobile missile launchers to try to outfox American satellites and other detection technology.
From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2024
Those Fairfax-Westchester games produced sold-out gyms, great player matchups and memorable endings as each tried to outfox the other.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2022
The only way to outfox Hangman is to think one sentence ahead, and if you see a stammer-word coming up, alter your sentence so you won't need to use it.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
