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outwit

[ out-wit ]

/ ˌaʊtˈwɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR outwit 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.

Origin of outwit

First recorded in 1645–55; out- + wit¹

SYNONYMS FOR outwit

1 outguess, outfox, outmaneuver, outthink, finesse.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR outwit ON THESAURUS.COM

Words nearby outwit

outwash plain, outwatch, outwear, outweigh, outwent, outwit, outwith, outwork, outworn, outwrite, outyear

Example sentences from the Web for outwitted

And it was even worse for the government of the Republic to be outwitted in diplomacy than beaten in the field.

The Life of John of Barneveld, 1614-23, Volume II. |John Lothrop Motley
She played scenes in which she outwitted the haughty beauty, and fled with the hero.

The Cricket |Marjorie Cooke
She had outwitted him at the start and borne off the spoils, but he would wrest them from her, and tame her into the bargain.

The Fifth Ace |Douglas Grant
The water was warm and the child was full of joy that he had outwitted his captors.

The Children of France |Ruth Royce

The Burgundian swore by the liver and pike-staff of the good centurion, the natives had outwitted him.

The Cloister and the Hearth |Charles Reade

British Dictionary definitions for outwitted

outwit

/ (ˌaʊtˈwɪt) /

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

to get the better of by cunning or ingenuity

archaic to be of greater intelligence than