Synonyms

outfox

American

[out-foks] / ˌaʊtˈfɒks /

verb (used with object)

to outwit; outsmart; outmaneuver.

Politics is often the art of knowing how to outfox the opposition.

outfox British

/ ˌaʊtˈfɒks /

verb

(tr) to surpass in guile or cunning

"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 outfox

First recorded in 1960–65; out- + fox

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.

U.S. developers say the ultimate goal is artificial general intelligence, systems that may eventually outfox humans by thinking independently.

From The Wall Street Journal

Following a $1-billion-grossing, Oscar-winning smash could have left writer and director Jared Bush and director Byron Howard feeling like rabbits in the headlights, but they seem to have outfoxed the challenge.

From Los Angeles Times

National-security hawks argued they had to be withheld to stifle China’s development of military weaponry and, perhaps one day, advanced AI systems that outfox humans.

From The Wall Street Journal

Look what he accomplished; look how he outfoxed and defeated every opponent.

From Salon

There is a way that these repetitive movements can ward off calamities, outfox deterioration, at least to a point.

From The Wall Street Journal

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