outflank

verb

out·​flank ˌau̇t-ˈflaŋk 

outflanked; outflanking; outflanks

transitive verb

1

: to get around the flank of (an opposing force)

2

: get around, circumvent

Examples of outflank in a Sentence

The army outflanked the enemy.

trying to outflank the competition

Recent Examples on the Web

To the extent that the United States attempts to deny technologies to China, the only sustainable approach involves working with allies and other countries so that the United States is not outflanked by China and lose technology leadership in the rest of the world. —Scott Kennedy, Foreign Affairs, 26 Nov. 2024

Chelsea tried to bring Lukaku back from Everton but were outflanked by Jose Mourinho and Manchester United, before pivoting to Alvaro Morata of Real Madrid. —The Athletic Staff, The Athletic, 23 July 2024

For Iran, Hezbollah was supposed to be the cornerstone of its strategy to outflank superior adversaries, such as Israel, with armed proxies. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 30 Sep. 2024

For all the talk about Russia building its own sphere of influence, the country has been outflanked by NATO and the European Union in eastern Europe, and China is competing with it for influence in Central Asia. —Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 6 Apr. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

outflank

verb

out·​flank (ˈ)au̇t-ˈflaŋk 

: to get around the side of (a military formation)

outflank the enemy