Outfought

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have experienced a defeat in a contest due to an opponent's superior abilities or maneuvers in conflict
2. To have been overcome by a challenger whose expertise or planning proved more effective in a competitive situation
3. To have been overcome by an adversary demonstrating superior combat skills or tactics

Etymology: "Outfought" is the past tense and past participle of "outfight," a verb meaning to defeat someone in combat or a contest of strength. It is formed from the prefix "out-" and the verb "fight." The prefix comes from Old English "ūt," meaning outward, away, or beyond, the same ancestry that gives "out" its modern sense of exceeding or surpassing someone. That prefix does most of the work. Attaching "out-" to a verb produces the idea of doing the action better than an opponent, so to outfight someone is to fight them and come out ahead. English has long built verbs this way, with "outrun," "outwit," and "outlast" following the same pattern.