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:
Nonetheless, Attanasio believed that even if the Brewers couldn’t outspend their opponents, they could outsmart them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
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
It is the size of a pin head – yet in many ways - more efficient than a supercomputer and able to outsmart the smartest AI.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
If its attorneys do not outsmart you, they will outwork you, and if they can’t outwork you, they’ll win through sheer intimidation.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
The Gruffalo, written by London-born children's author Julia Donaldson, tells the story of a mouse who outsmarts a beast.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
“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
In the Legends books that are no longer officially part of the Star Wars canon, Boba outsmarts the Sarlacc and triggers an explosion using his jetpack, allowing him to escape, though seriously injured.
From Slate ● Dec. 4, 2020
It was nearly 30 years ago when chess helped mankind properly understand that it was being outsmarted by machines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 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
Wednesday is the 50th anniversary of the day King outsmarted and outplayed Riggs to win the best-of-five match 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 and earn a then-staggering $100,000 prize.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2023
Even though Mrs. Moss had outsmarted me at her house, I was confident that a doctor would detect the truth.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
"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
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
It was a classic case of the Dodgers’ renowned brain trust outsmarting themselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2024
She blinks a few times, clearly outsmarting me.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
