outsmart

[out-smahrt]

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verb (used with object)

to get the better of (someone); outwit.

Idioms

outsmart oneself, to defeat oneself unintentionally by overly elaborate intrigue, scheming, or the like: This time he may have outsmarted himself.

Origin of outsmart

1925–30; out- + smart (adj.)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for outsmarted

outmaneuver, baffle, outfox, deceive, outdo, circumvent, bamboozle, dupe, cheat, gull, confuse, have, defraud, trick, bewilder, top, finagle, beat, overreach, worst

Examples from the Web for outsmarted

Contemporary Examples of outsmarted

Silicon Valley has outsmarted Hollywood, and deserves some credit for how it has played the game.
Apple Wants Beats So It Can Control You
Ted Gioia
May 12, 2014
In Season 1, Frank basically outmaneuvered and outsmarted everyone.
Beau Willimon on Most Shocking Twists in ‘House of Cards’ Season 2
Andrew Romano
February 15, 2014
Yes, the GOP was outsmarted, out-teched and out-campaigned in 2012.
Barack Obama’s Herbert Hoover Budget a Political Boon for Republicans
Lloyd Green
April 12, 2013
Today, it appears to be one of the first times SEC officials were outsmarted by Madoff.
The Madoff Family Splinters
Allan Dodds Frank
June 27, 2009

Historical Examples of outsmarted

Philip thought he had outsmarted the ruler, but he was wrong.
FreeChildrenStories.com Collection
Daniel Errico

British Dictionary definitions for outsmarted

outsmart

verb

(tr) informal to get the better of; outwit

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for outsmarted

outsmart

"to prove too clever for," 1926, from out + smart (adj.). Related: Outsmarted; outsmarting.