outthink

American  

[out-thingk] / ˌaʊtˈθɪŋk /

verb (used with object)

outthought, outthinking

1. to excel in thinking faster, more accurately, or more perceptively than.

   outthinking most of her contemporaries in the field of human relations.

2. to get the advantage of (someone) by quick or clever thinking; outwit.

   only a split second to outthink his opponent.

---

outthink British  

/ ˌaʊtˈθɪŋk /

verb

1. to outdo in thinking

2. to outwit

---

Etymology

Origin of outthink

First recorded in 1695–1705; out- + think ¹

Example Sentences

He has been telling anyone who asks that he thinks large language models, or LLMs, are a dead end in the pursuit of computers that can truly outthink humans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025

Fedora on head, bullwhip in hand, mind racing a mile a minute to outthink hot-on-his-heels pursuers, he’s very much the Indy of old.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 28, 2023

“If you keep your mental game, you’ll get close. I’m not going to outhit and outputt them, but I can outthink them.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2023

To free herself from the trap Eccles has set for her, Tessa must do what she does best: Use her brain power to outthink her predatory thesis adviser.

From Washington Post • Dec. 31, 2021

“She could outthink him. She was smarter than him, always two steps ahead of him,” Nanci recalls.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel