outsmart

[ out-smahrt ]

verb (used with object)

1. to get the better of (someone); outwit.

outsmart

/ ˌaʊtˈsmɑːt /

verb

1. informal.
   tr to get the better of; outwit

Word History and Origins

Origin of outsmart¹

1925–30; out- + smart (adj.)

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. outsmart oneself, to defeat oneself unintentionally by overly elaborate intrigue, scheming, or the like:

   This time he may have outsmarted himself.

Example Sentences

He resigned from Google in 2023, and has warned about the dangers of machines that could outsmart humans.

From BBC

Or might France’s leader, a former banker with an appetite for the high-wire act, find a way, once again, to outsmart his rivals and to win back the support of an increasingly sceptical public?

From BBC

"He was always very happy and talkative, the joker of the family and always loved to outsmart us with a smile."

From BBC

"Bhim loved to laugh. He was always very happy and talkative, the joker of the family and always loved to outsmart us with a smile."

From BBC

There’s a competition with a longer history in the Olympics than almost any other sport: the race between cheaters and authorities to outsmart the other in the hopes of obtaining a prize, or safeguarding its dignity.

From Salon

Related Words

• baffle
• bamboozle
• circumvent
• deceive
• outdo
• outfox
• outmaneuver