outwit

O1U1T1W4I1T1
UK, US/aʊtˈwɪt/

verb

To get the better of; to outsmart, to beat in a competition of wits.

Similar
outfoxoutguessoutsmartoverreachcircumventbeatbeat outcrush
OriginEnglish wit ← Middle English witen ← Old English witan →
UncommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

verboutwit (third-person singular simple present outwits, present participle outwitting, simple past and past participle outwitted)

present singular third person outwits · participle present outwitting · participle past outwitted · past outwitted

  1. transitiveTo get the better of; to outsmart, to beat in a competition of wits.

    But my dear Lady Teazle 'tis your own fault if you suffer it—when a Husband entertains a groundless suspicion of his Wife and withdraws his confidence from her—the original compact is broke and she owes it to the Honour of her sex to endeavour to outwit him—

    1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, IV.iii

    Synonyms: outfox, outguess, outsmart, overreach, circumvent

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo get the better of; to outsmart, to beat in a competition of wits.

Similar
outfoxoutguessoutsmartoverreachcircumvent

More synonyms by meaning

verbbeat through cleverness and wit

Similar
overreachoutsmartoutfoxbeatcircumventbeat outcrush
Broader
surpassoutstripoutmatch
Also see
bafflebeatbeat outcircumventconvincecrushdefeateat someone for breakfasteat someone's lunchflogmalavoguemurdelizeoutfoxoutguessoutsmartoverreachrapereduceshelltrouncevanquish

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úd
  2. Proto-Germanic*ūt
  3. Proto-Germanic*ūt-
  4. Old Englishūt-
  5. Middle Englishut-
  6. Englishout-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*weyd-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*wóyde
  9. Proto-Germanic*witaną
  10. Proto-West Germanic*witan
  11. Old Englishwitan
  12. Middle Englishwiten
  13. Englishwit
  14. Englishoutwit

From out- + wit.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French être plus malin
  • être plus malinto beat in a battle of wits
Māori whakawareware, rorerau
  • whakawarewareto beat in a battle of wits
  • rorerauto beat in a battle of wits
Polish przechytrzać, przechytrzyć
  • przechytrzaćto beat in a battle of wits
  • przechytrzyćto beat in a battle of wits
Spanish engañar, aventajar
  • engañarto beat in a battle of wits
  • aventajarto beat in a battle of wits
  • burlarto beat in a battle of wits
  • ser más listo queto beat in a battle of wits
Swedish överlista
  • överlistato beat in a battle of wits

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with outwit

getsubmitbitkithitfitpermitchocolatesplitsitcommitquitadmitpitlitmagnettransmitwitknitSchmidtPittbritspitwrit
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

outwit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/outwit

MLA

“outwit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/outwit. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “outwit,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/outwit.

Source: outwit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.