outgeneral

American

[out-jen-er-uhl] / ˌaʊtˈdʒɛn ər əl /

verb (used with object)

outgeneraled, outgeneraling, outgeneralled, outgeneralling

to outdo or surpass in generalship.

outgeneral British

/ ˌaʊtˈdʒɛnərəl /

verb

(tr) to surpass in generalship

"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 outgeneral

First recorded in 1760–70; out- + general

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.

Lincoln's friend in Kansas, instead of securing that delegation for him, had suffered the Seward men to outgeneral him, and the prospects were by no means flattering.

From Abraham Lincoln, Volume 2 (of 2) The True Story of a Great Life by Herndon, William H.

Then I saw an elderly gentleman pacing back and forth between two feminine chatterboxes, and trying to outgeneral the two happy people.

From A Romance in Transit by Lynde, Francis

He had spent four hundred dollars in recovering one third of the stolen money, and had suffered the thief to outgeneral him.

From The Mystery of Monastery Farm by Naylor, H. R.

From the description it was Berghoff, the spy of a powerful European nation whose ambition it is to outgeneral all other powers on the sea.

From The Boy Scouts for Uncle Sam by Goldfrap, John Henry

But possibly we can think up some way to outgeneral him.”

From The Boy Aviators' Flight for a Fortune by Goldfrap, John Henry

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