outmatched

verb

past tense of outmatch
as in exceeded
to be greater, better, or stronger than believes Secretariat would outmatch any other horse in racing history

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of outmatched An interceptor that loses its link above 100 mph—or, by some accounts, above 43 mph—is badly outmatched. — Steven John, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026 It was conceded that the catalogue of brews outmatched the finite power of the liver. — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026 In the first two games, the Falcons were essentially outmatched. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Overall, Nakase outmatched DeMarco throughout the regular-season sweep. — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 Even Iran has successfully used new technologies to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz this year, despite being completely outmatched by American military power. — Doug Beck, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 China’s consistently weak domestic demand has long been outmatched by the country’s vast manufacturing capacity, leading firms to expand aggressively in — and grow increasingly dependent on — overseas markets to drive growth. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Five days earlier, Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike’s victory in the opening team time trial had suggested the Dutch squad may have the ability to match UAE — in Pogačar’s two Tour defeats, his team was comprehensively outmatched. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 July 2026 The incident also suggests that cybersecurity defenses designed to stop human hackers may be outmatched by AI agents capable of searching for vulnerabilities and acting at machine speed. — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 23 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outmatched
  1. exceeded
  2. surpassed
  3. eclipsed
  4. topped
  5. outclassed
Verb
  • The Independent Payment Advisory Board, which was supposed to force automatic Medicare cuts if spending exceeded target growth rates, was repealed in 2018 without ever becoming operational.
    — Dana P. Goldman, STAT, 22 Oct. 2026
  • For instance, the agency allowed some states to ban enrollees from using food stamps to buy soda and candy, although a federal judge earlier this year ruled that the Agriculture Department exceeded its authority in implementing the rules.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of exceeded
Verb
  • Apple's market value briefly surpassed Nvidia in July, before falling back below.
    — Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Although prices reached record highs for 2026, the statewide average for regular gasoline has not yet surpassed that all-time record.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of surpassed
Verb
  • Mensah, meanwhile, eclipsed 300 passing yards and three touchdowns for the fourth time in seven games with Miami.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The money raised by the candidates is eclipsed by the funds raised by outside committees working on each candidate’s behalf, which aren’t bound by contribution limits.
    — Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of eclipsed
Verb
  • The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for nine consecutive weeks, became an instant hallmark of the mid-2000s, and cemented Ne-Yo’s brand of heartfelt autofiction.
    — Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Arsenii Dukhno of Russia, who topped qualifying, bounded out of bounds after overcooking a tumbling sequence and wound up sixth.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of topped
Verb
  • The Cowboys were outclassed and outmanned from the jump in a 23-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers that drops the team to 2-4 on the season.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026
  • This is one area where its competition clearly outclassed the AstroLab, but this should help close the gap.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of outclassed

Browse Nearby Words

outmatch
outmatched
outmatches
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Outmatched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outmatched. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All