outsmart
Americanverb (used with object)
idioms
verb
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has outsmartedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have outsmartedperfect
-
are outsmartingprogressive
-
has been outsmartingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been outsmartingperfect progressive
-
am outsmartingprogressive 1st person singular
-
outsmartingparticiple
-
is outsmartingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
outsmartssingular 3rd person
Past
-
had outsmartedperfect
-
outsmartedsimple
-
outsmartedparticiple
-
had been outsmartingperfect progressive
-
was outsmartingprogressive singular
-
were outsmartingprogressive plural
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.
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
In the group Slack, Claudius became an oddly real presence, a co-worker people collaborated with in small groups, teased and collectively tried to outsmart.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
"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
But it isn’t just people who can outsmart him.
From Salon • Sep. 19, 2025
She alone had known how to outsmart the malicious mountain Ka’t’sina who imprisoned the rain clouds in the northwest room of his magical house.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
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.
