Skip to main content
to fox

to fox

1 8.1
To trick someone by being clever to gain advantage
  • verb
  • /fɑks/
translation icon : engañar
  • He foxed his friends into believing he had won the lottery with an elaborate story.

Examples

  • The con artist foxed the unsuspecting elderly couple into giving him their savings.

  • So I could fox like this converting page one of one the quick brown fox just like that.

  • She cleverly foxed her opponents during the game by pretending to make a poor move.

Synonyms

to trick
vsto fox
326 3.5

To make someone believe something false so you can get what you want

focuses more on cleverness as the main reason to deceive
to play tricks
vsto fox
15 3.0

To make someone believe something that is not true as a joke

usually implies a more deliberate, cunning form of deception
to outwit
vsto fox
11 4.7

To beat someone by being more clever than them

adds broader deceitful or tricking actions beyond pure cleverness
6 2.8

To fool someone as a joke

is similar but usually involves more serious or clever deception
to play a joke on
vsto fox
  • Informal
5 3.2

To trick someone in a friendly way to make them laugh

can be playful but more often means clever or serious deceit
to outfox
vsto fox
5 6.7

To beat someone by being more clever

covers the same clever defeat but also includes general deceit
to pull a fast one on
vsto fox
  • Informal
5 8.1

To trick someone to gain an advantage

includes that advantage motive but also covers simple clever outwitting
to fob
vsto fox
  • Informal
1 9.4

To trick someone into accepting something false or less valuable

is wider, applying to clever deception beyond making poor deals
to flim-flam
vsto fox
  • Archaic
1 9.5

To trick someone by using clever talk

is broader, including many kinds of clever or cunning deception
to hornswoggle
vsto fox
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To trick someone to take their money or things

stresses cleverness and cunning rather than general cheating methods
to play the fox
vsto fox
8.8

Act in a clever, tricky way to fool others

is the general idea of clever deception rather than a sly role

Antonyms

2.3

Show something that was hidden or secret

Idioms

1 8.4

A person who can harm or steal when trusted to look after others

Act in a clever, tricky way to fool others

Compounds

3 7.3

A chase of a fox by riders and dogs

3 7.7

A ballroom dance for couples with slow and quick steps to lively music

1 6.2

A person who rides a horse and follows dogs to catch foxes

1 3.5

A small fox that lives in the Arctic with thick fur that turns white in winter

fox squirrel
  • Specialized
1 5.7

A large tree squirrel with a bushy tail and reddish fur

1 5.7

A medium-sized wild animal with gray fur that lives in North and Central America and can climb trees

1 3.2

A wild animal like a small dog with red-brown fur that lives in fields and towns

flying fox
  • Australian
1 8.2

A large bat that eats fruit and has a face like a fox and long wings

1 3.4

A small energetic white-and-black dog first bred to dig out foxes during hunts

kit fox
  • US
1 7.2

A small gray fox with large ears that lives in western North American deserts and is active at night

1 6.1

A person who is clever and uses tricks to get what they want

7.4

A northern fox with pale grey or blue-grey winter fur that lives near coasts

6.0

A fox with mostly black fur

A wild animal like a small dog from northern South America that eats crabs and small animals

A nickname for the German general Erwin Rommel who led forces in North Africa during World War II

A large tree squirrel with a bushy tail and reddish gray fur that lives in the eastern United States

fox grape
  • Specialized
8.2

A wild grape native to eastern North America with dark purple fruit used for jams and juices

An Algonquian language spoken by the Meskwaki people in the US Midwest

fox shark
  • Specialized
8.7

A large shark in warm seas with a long whiplike tail used to herd and stun small fish

9.9

A small wild fox from Mexico and the US with a long bushy tail with black and white rings

8.3

A small grey fox that lives in the open grasslands of western North America

silver fox
  • Informal
7.5

An attractive, stylish older man with grey hair

A red fox with dark fur and white tips kept for its fur

A small lively dog with a short smooth coat

4.4

A small Arctic fox with brown summer fur and white winter fur

A small energetic dog with rough, wiry fur and a bushy face

How Deceptive

to bamboozle
  • Informal
11 8.3
to outwit
11 4.7
to fox
1 8.1
to trick
326 3.5
to mislead
87 3.9

Surface Forms

fox infinitive
foxed past
foxed past participle
foxing present participle
foxes third person singular

Etymology

To fox someone, meaning to trick or outwit them, comes from the idea of the fox as a clever trickster that can beat others by smart moves. So to fox someone is to use cleverness to get the better of them.