Standard Lemma guide

outsmart

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /aʊtˈsmɑː(ɹ)t/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)t
  • CMU ARPABET: AW1 T S M AA2 R T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To beat in a competition of wits.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

beat through cleverness and wit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I beat the traffic
  • She outfoxed her competitors

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: outwit, overreach, outfox, beat, circumvent

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: surpass, outstrip, outmatch, outgo, exceed, outdo, surmount, outperform

3

verb

Meaning 3

defeat by more skillful maneuvering

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The English troops outmaneuvered the Germans
  • My new supervisor knows how to outmaneuver the boss in most situations

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: outmaneuver, outmanoeuvre

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: outdo, outflank, trump, best, scoop

Narrower terms: outgeneral

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úd Proto-Germanic *ūt Proto-Germanic *ūt- Old English ūt- Middle English ut- English out- English smart English outsmart From out- + smart.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: надхитря́вам (nadhitrjávam) — beat in a competition of wits
  • Bulgarian: надхитря́ (nadhitrjá) — beat in a competition of wits
  • Catalan: ser més llest que algú — beat in a competition of wits
  • Chinese Mandarin: 智勝 /智胜 (zhìshèng) — beat in a competition of wits
  • Chinese Mandarin: 智取 (zhìqǔ) — beat in a competition of wits
  • Czech: přechytračit — beat in a competition of wits
  • Dutch: slimmer zijn dan — beat in a competition of wits
  • Esperanto: superruzi — beat in a competition of wits
  • Finnish: olla ovelampi — beat in a competition of wits
  • Finnish: päihittää oveluudessa — beat in a competition of wits
  • French: être plus malin que — beat in a competition of wits
  • French: se montrer plus malin que — beat in a competition of wits
  • Georgian: ჭკუაში მოტყუება (č̣ḳuaši moṭq̇ueba) — beat in a competition of wits
  • Georgian: ხერხში ჯობნა (xerxši ǯobna) — beat in a competition of wits
  • German: überlisten — beat in a competition of wits
  • Greek: ξεγελώ (xegeló) — beat in a competition of wits
  • Hungarian: túljár az eszén — beat in a competition of wits
  • Māori: rorerau — beat in a competition of wits
  • Māori: whakawareware — beat in a competition of wits
  • Polish: przechytrzać — beat in a competition of wits
  • Polish: przechytrzyć — beat in a competition of wits
  • Portuguese: ser mais esperto que — beat in a competition of wits
  • Russian: перехитри́ть (perexitrítʹ) — beat in a competition of wits
  • Spanish: burlar — beat in a competition of wits
  • Spanish: ser más listo que — beat in a competition of wits
  • Spanish: superar en inteligencia — beat in a competition of wits
  • Swedish: överlista — beat in a competition of wits
  • Turkish: hakkından gelmek — beat in a competition of wits
  • Ukrainian: перехитро́вувати (perexytróvuvaty) — beat in a competition of wits
  • Ukrainian: перехитрува́ти (perexytruváty) — beat in a competition of wits
  • Ukrainian: перехитри́ти (perexytrýty) — beat in a competition of wits