outwit
verb (used with object)
to get the better of by superior ingenuity or cleverness; outsmart.
outwitted
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past participleof outwit.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof outwit.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
outwitverb (used with object)to get the better of by superior ingenuity or cleverness; outsmart.
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.
For many, today's hardships only serve to highlight the absence of a leader who died a decade ago and is still seen as the wiley strategist who outwitted his American foes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Peter Pomerantsev’s “How to Win an Information War” tells the story of Sefton Delmer, “the propagandist who outwitted Hitler.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Early cancer vaccine research faltered as cancer outwitted and outlasted patients’ weak immune systems, said Olja Finn, a vaccine researcher at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 26, 2023
Just before Rometty became IBM’s first woman CEO, the company’s AI-powered computer Watson outwitted two of the most successful contestants in the history of the game show “Jeopardy!”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 27, 2023
He was never happier than when he had outwitted some foolish custom, and he was never more melancholy than when brooding over the impossibility of his ever being free.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
