outsmart

American

[out-smahrt] / ˌaʊtˈsmɑrt /

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.

outsmart British

/ ˌaʊtˈsmɑːt /

verb

informal (tr) 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

Etymology

Origin of outsmart

1925–30; out- + smart (adj.)

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.

It took 13-year-old Isobel less than five minutes to outsmart Australia's "world-leading" social media ban for children.

From BBC • Dec. 6, 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

And yet, in an era where MLB organizations are increasingly run by Ivy League whiz kids and their armies of data wonks, Dombrowski continues to outsmart the rest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 2, 2025

But it isn’t just people who can outsmart him.

From Salon • Sep. 19, 2025

“And I could outsmart you with one brain tied behind mine!”

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023