Meaning & use
outmanoeuvre
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To gain an advantage over an opponent by acting more cleverly or skillfully, usually through better planning or timing.
Grammar: Takes an object: she outmanoeuvred her rivals.
Patterns
- outmanoeuvre someone
- outmanoeuvre someone in something
The young lawyer outmanoeuvred her much older opponent in court.
The chess champion outmanoeuvred his rival in the final ten moves.
Smaller firms can sometimes outmanoeuvre larger competitors by reacting faster.
verbtransitive
To move a vehicle or ship more skillfully than another so as to get ahead or avoid being caught.
Grammar: Takes an object: the pilot outmanoeuvred the chasing plane.
Patterns
- outmanoeuvre something
The sailor outmanoeuvred the larger boat at the final turn.
The smaller aircraft outmanoeuvred its pursuer in the narrow valley.
On the narrow track, the driver outmanoeuvred two heavier cars.
Word forms
| third person singular | outmanoeuvres |
|---|---|
| past tense | outmanoeuvred |
| past participle | outmanoeuvred |
| -ing form | outmanoeuvring |
Common combinations
- outmanoeuvre your opponent
- He managed to outmanoeuvre his opponent before the vote.
- outmanoeuvre the competition
- The start-up hoped to outmanoeuvre the competition with a cheaper product.
- politically outmanoeuvred
- The minister was politically outmanoeuvred by her own deputy.
- be outmanoeuvred by someone
- The army was outmanoeuvred by a smaller, faster force.
- easily outmanoeuvre
- The experienced goalkeeper easily outmanoeuvred the young striker.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outwit
- Outwit stresses beating someone by intelligence or trickery, while outmanoeuvre also suggests clever positioning and timing.
- outsmart
- Outsmart is more informal and used for everyday situations, whereas outmanoeuvre sounds more formal and strategic.
- outflank
- Outflank comes from military use and implies getting around the side of an opponent, while outmanoeuvre is broader.
- outdo
- Outdo only means doing better than someone, without the idea of clever planning that outmanoeuvre carries.
Opposites
Word family
- manoeuvre noun
- a planned, skillful movement or action
- manoeuvre verb
- to move or guide something carefully
- outmaneuver verb
- the American spelling of outmanoeuvre
- manoeuvrable adjective
- easy to steer or move
Commonly confused: outmanoeuvre or outmaneuver?
outmanoeuvre vs outmaneuver
This is not a different word but the American spelling; use outmanoeuvre in British English and outmaneuver in American English.
Practice
The smaller company managed to ___ its bigger rival by launching a product months earlier.
Choose one answer.
Outmanoeuvre means to gain an advantage through clever planning, which fits a better launch time. Outlast means survive longer, which does not describe a clever tactical move.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “outmanoeuvre”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.