Outmaneuvered

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To gain the upper hand through superior tactics or strategy while evading or circumventing an opponent's moves in a competitive context
2. To employ clever strategies to effectively outsmart and avoid being caught by an adversary during a confrontation or challenge
3. To successfully evade or defeat an opponent by demonstrating greater strategy and skill in a competitive situation

Etymology: The word is a simple combination: "out-" added to "maneuver." The prefix descends from Old English "ūt," meaning "outside" or "away from within," the same root that gives the modern "out." It was attached to "maneuver," which entered English from French, where it had come from the Latin "manu operari," meaning "to work by hand." In the military sense of moving troops or ships into advantageous positions, that hand-work sense took on a more strategic flavour. The prefix "out-" in English often means "to surpass or do better than someone." So "outmaneuver" literally means to get ahead of an opponent by moving more skillfully than they do. The verb follows this pattern exactly, turning a physical act of manoeuvring into a contest of wits, where the winner is the one who gets the better position.

Synonyms: outsmarted, outwitted, outfoxed, outplayed, outpaced

Antonyms: outmatched, overpowered, defeated, captured, overwhelmed