MEANING
To overcome someone through more resourceful or clever action.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- outwit a pursuer
- outwit an opponent
On the page
The child outwitted the guard with a borrowed uniform.
Word forms
- Base
- outwit
- Past tense
- outwitted
- Past participle
- outwitted
- Present participle
- outwitting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- outwit
- Present continuous
- am/is/are outwitting
- Present perfect
- have/has outwitted
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been outwitting
- Past
- outwitted
- Past continuous
- was/were outwitting
- Past perfect
- had outwitted
- Past perfect continuous
- had been outwitting
- Future
- will outwit
- Future continuous
- will be outwitting
- Future perfect
- will have outwitted
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been outwitting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: outwit; outwits; outwitted; outwitted; outwitting Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character, dialogue. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: outwits.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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