outsmart

USAGE SUMMARY

'outsmart' is a correct and usable word in written English.
You can use it when you want to say that someone managed to achieve a goal or win a competition by being more clever or resourceful than their opponent. For example: "The team outsmarted their rivals, winning the match with an impressive come-from-behind victory."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Shakespeare's Portia, one of the few people who can outsmart others without outsmarting herself.

The New York Times - Books

It will be fascinating to watch out tonight for whether the public can once again outsmart the professional pundits, as it did in 2010".

The Guardian

"He will outsmart me and outsmart the other TV companies and he has the power because he has the [client advertising] accounts.

The Guardian

In e-mails, foreign residents drop syllables from the names of Politburo members in attempts to outsmart new Chinese surveillance technology.

The Economist

These proxy servers play a central role in the global struggle to outsmart censors working to protect undemocratic regimes from political and social dissent.

The Economist

While seeking to outsmart each other, its clients collectively generated free forecasts of the future used by many academics, businesses and journalists.

The Economist

The story follows the team members as they race to mountain-top observatories in Arizona, Hawaii and Chile, desperately trying to outsmart a competing team of researchers.

The Economist

Mr Bouteflika's announcement on February 3rd that he may soon lift a long-standing emergency law, as well as rumours of a cabinet shuffle, may be meant to dampen the protests as well as to outsmart the general.Though spared its own civil war, Libya is the Maghreb's most repressive regime.

The Economist

But it could help some people outsmart themselves.

The Economist

Banning texting at weekends or, say, on Thursdays, can really show the iPhone who is boss.Together we can outsmart our phonesThe problem with this approach is that it works only if you live on a desert island or at the bottom of a lake.

The Economist

His every delusional sally, every spasm of self-pity and promotion was greeted by his supporters as evidence for an ability to outsmart his jailers".

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "outsmart" when you want to emphasize the intellectual aspect of overcoming a challenge or opponent, rather than brute force or luck.

Common error

While "outsmart" is widely accepted, in highly formal or academic writing, consider alternatives like "outmaneuver" or "surpass" to maintain a more professional tone.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "outsmart" is as a transitive verb, indicating the action of surpassing someone in intelligence or strategic thinking. As Ludwig highlights, it conveys the use of cleverness to gain an advantage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Encyclopedias

10%

Formal & Business

5%

Less common in

Science

3%

Reference

2%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "outsmart" is a versatile verb used to describe the act of surpassing someone through intelligence and strategy. Ludwig's examples show its frequent occurrence in News & Media and Encyclopedias, highlighting its function in describing competitive scenarios where cleverness prevails. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is grammatically correct, making it a reliable choice for expressing intellectual superiority. While suitable for most contexts, more formal settings might benefit from alternatives like "outmaneuver" or "surpass".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

outwit

Emphasizes cleverness and trickery more strongly than "outsmart".

outmaneuver

Focuses on strategic positioning and tactical advantage.

outfox

Implies cunning and deception, similar to outwit.

get the better of

A more idiomatic way of saying someone gained an advantage over another.

beat

A more general term for winning, which can be through intelligence or other means.

circumvent

Find a way around (an obstacle).

get around

Indicates the circumvention of rules or obstacles through cleverness.

trick

Suggests deceiving someone to gain an advantage.

bamboozle

To deceive or get the better of someone by trickery, flattery, or the like; humbug; dupe.

dominate

A more general term implying control and superiority.

FAQs

How can I use "outsmart" in a sentence?

You can use "outsmart" to describe someone using intelligence to gain an advantage, such as, "The chess player tried to outsmart his opponent with a clever strategy."

What's a synonym for "outsmart"?

Alternatives include "outwit", "outmaneuver", or "outfox", each carrying slightly different connotations of cleverness and strategy.

Is "outsmart" appropriate for formal writing?

While generally acceptable, in highly formal contexts, consider more sophisticated alternatives like "surpass" or "excel" for a more elevated tone.

What is the difference between "outsmart" and "outwit"?

"Outsmart" generally refers to using intelligence and strategy, while "outwit" often implies a degree of trickery or deception.