outthink

verb

out·​think ˌau̇t-ˈthiŋk 

outthought ˌau̇t-ˈthȯt  ; outthinking

transitive verb

1

: to outdo or surpass in thinking : to go beyond or transcend by thinking

Thus does a candidate who is certainly capable of equalling or outthinking his competitors on the issues find himself fighting a shadow war against himself.

—E. J. Dionne, Jr.

2

: to get the better of by thinking more quickly or adroitly than : outwit

All trying to buy low, to sell high, now to outthink the other fellow, now to collude with them, to defraud a third party.

—David Mamet

Synonyms

• fox
• outfox
• outmaneuver
• outslick
• outsmart
• outwit
• overreach

Examples of outthink in a Sentence

the company's growth is due in large part to its marketing division's ability to outthink the competition

Recent Examples on the Web

Perhaps the shape rotators are convinced that computers can outthink us because their own minds are so impoverished. —Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 26 June 2024

In a blog post, Google CEO Sundar Pichai predicted the technology underlying Gemini Advanced will be able to outthink even the smartest people when tackling many complex topics. —Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024

By June, however, Space Force and its Combatant Command, U.S. Space Command, were recruiting tech-smart people; coordinating with international allies; deciding which technologies to buy; and running war-game simulations in which teams attack, counterattack and outthink one another. —Ann Finkbeiner, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2020

What the talent evaluators of the Carolina Panthers saw this draft cycle was an undersized quarterback from the University of Alabama whose ability to outthink defenses outweighed his physical limitations. —Joseph Goodman | [e-mail], al, 28 Apr. 2023

Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmaneuver the shockingly twisted professors. —Clark Collis, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2023

Warzel offers this advice: Don’t try to outthink the robots. —Robin Ryan, Forbes, 9 Nov. 2021

The Cowboys should remain at No. 10 and don’t attempt to outthink the draft. —David Moore, Dallas News, 22 Apr. 2021

Watching the underdog lead, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, outthink her opponents was so uplifting, viewers were tricked into thinking chess is a thrilling spectator sport. —Chris Hewitt, Star Tribune, 25 Dec. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1