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
-
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:
A new video series documents Silicon Valley’s most powerful billionaires as they try to outsmart each other in a classic “social deduction” game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
More broadly, firms have ploughed ahead with AI development - including of "superintelligence" they believe could outsmart humans - while warning of its detrimental impact to some areas of society.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
Grace and Faith must work together, using their namesake virtues to outsmart the scoundrels and stay alive, and to say it’s far less effective than it was seven years ago is an understatement.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2026
"You can be sure that other teams will be analysing us so we need to keep improving our tactics and playing style so that we can outsmart them."
From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 2025
“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
Part of the show’s enduring appeal is tagging along with the unkempt, endlessly resourceful detective as he outsmarts each episode’s suspect, sniffing out clues even his counterparts have overlooked, until a case is cracked.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2024
He outsmarts his brother James to escape his indenture, but then arrives in Philadelphia with barely enough money to feed himself.
From Slate ● Apr. 4, 2022
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
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 was a challenging beast to contain as it outsmarted us when trying to contain it into a smaller space to capture it," said Craig.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 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
Riley has already outsmarted Kelly before, and this time, I anticipate he’ll have the entire kitchen sink ready to throw at him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2022
She smiles broadly, sure that she has finally outsmarted the elephant.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025
In “Saatapiaq,” by Terrie Kusugak, a man tries to escape his fate by outsmarting an ijiraq, a shapeshifting creature from Inuit lore.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
Former clinical psychologist Ramani Durvasula has written three books on the subject and has 2 million YouTube subscribers who tune in for videos on outsmarting and abandoning narcissists.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2025
"Dumb Money" depicts working class people outsmarting some of the richest financial minds and companies in the country.
From Salon ● Dec. 1, 2023
It's not just having the arrows or outsmarting the Careers a few times, although those things help.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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.
