outwit

[ out-wit ]

/ ˌaʊtˈwɪt /

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See synonyms for: outwit / outwits / outwitted / outwitting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), out·wit·ted, out·wit·ting.

to get the better of by superior ingenuity or cleverness; outsmart: to outwit a dangerous opponent.

Archaic. to surpass in wisdom or knowledge.

OTHER WORDS FOR outwit

1 outguess, outfox, outmaneuver, outthink, finesse.

See synonyms for outwit on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of outwit

First recorded in 1645–55; out- + wit¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use outwit in a sentence

Mixing and matching different odor receptors, for example, could lead to artificial noses that outwit our own.
Scientists Made a Biohybrid Nose Using Cells From Mosquitoes|Shelly Fan|January 26, 2021|Singularity Hub
Historians will look back at the present moment with astonishment that Iran so skillfully outwitted the West.
How Iran, Putin and Assad Outwitted America|David Keyes|January 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When he became aware of his snares in time, he occasionally outwitted the crafty fiend.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
There was no applause as the little man outwitted his follower by an adroit dodge under the ticket wagon.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney

It was natural that our suspicions should turn to this fellow Barrington whom we had so easily outwitted at Beauvais.
The Light That Lures|Percy Brebner
He had been outwitted, in his first command as an officer, and he could feel the hot shame of the whole thing.
Uncle Sam's Boys as Lieutenants|H. Irving Hancock
He had only been one of her experiments, and by his very simplicity—above all, by his uncompromising honesty—he had outwitted her.
With Edged Tools|Henry Seton Merriman

British Dictionary definitions for outwit

outwit

/ (ˌaʊtˈwɪt) /

verb -wits, -witting or -witted (tr)

to get the better of by cunning or ingenuity

archaic to be of greater intelligence than

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

outwit

OTHER WORDS FOR outwit

Origin of outwit

Words related to outwit

How to use outwit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for outwit