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Glite Dictionary
to outgeneral

to outgeneral

1 9.9
To beat someone by using better plans or moves, for example in battle
  • verb
  • /aʊtˈdʒɛnərəl/
: superar
  • He sought to outgeneral the competition by planning his strategy weeks in advance.

Examples

  • Six campaigns, he's outgeneraled us, outfought us, and outrun us.

    Fort Apache (1948)

  • The general was able to outgeneral his rivals by using innovative tactics during the battle.

  • In the chess tournament, she managed to outgeneral her opponent with a brilliant strategic move.

Synonyms

to outplay
vsto outgeneral
14 4.2

Do better than and beat an opponent in a game

focuses on defeating by overall strategy and planning rather than game performance
to outmaneuver
vsto outgeneral
  • US
11 7.7

Gain an advantage over someone by using skill or clever plans

is about defeating by superior strategy across the whole situation rather than one clever move
to outmatch
vsto outgeneral
8 6.4

Do better than someone in skill or performance

involves beating by superior strategy or tactics, not just raw ability
to outcompete
vsto outgeneral
1 6.1

To do better than someone or something and win

stresses winning by planned strategic advantage rather than only better results
to outstand
vsto outgeneral
1 7.6

To be better than others in skill or quality

means defeating by planned tactics rather than merely being better in quality
to outrival
vsto outgeneral
1 7.9

Be better than someone or something in a competition

implies defeating by strategic skill, not merely surpassing over time
to outvie
vsto outgeneral
  • Archaic
9.9

To try to be better than someone in a contest or task

focuses on victory via superior tactics rather than just striving to outdo others

How Strategic

to outgeneral
1 9.9
to outmaneuver
  • US
11 7.7
to outplan
1 7.7
to outthink
7 5.9

Surface Forms

outgeneral infinitive
outgeneralized past
outgeneralized past participle
outgeneralizing present participle
outgenerals third person singular

Morphology

outgeneral = general (transparent) = out + general

Formed from productive prefix 'out-' meaning 'to surpass' plus 'general' (military commander); the meaning is directly inferable by analogy to verbs like outmaneuver or outflank.

Etymology

Outgeneral comes from the part out- meaning 'more than' or 'beyond' and general meaning 'army leader' or 'commander', so to outgeneral someone is to beat them by being a better commander. Think of it like 'outdo' plus 'general': you win by making smarter plans.