c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xiii. 289 (MED) He bosteth and braggeth..a lyer in soule; With Inwit and with outwitt ymagenen and studye, As best for his body be.

c1400 J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 291 (MED) Sum good iugement is of mennes out-wittis, as þei iugen whiche mete is good & whiche mete is yuel, & sum men iugement is of mennes witt wiþinne, as men iugen how þei schal do, by lawe of consience.

a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) II. 311 (MED) Þes foure ben ful of iȝen, for þei have boþe out-witt and inner.

?1630 Cleocreton & Cloryana 70 Madam, your displeasure I know, though I am not guilty of the cause; for it was clearly my Cosin Mersea that outwitted me.

1650 J. Trapp Clavis to Bible (Gen. xlix. 17) 378 He could, if not outfight his enemies, outwit them.

1652 F. Kirkman tr. A. Du Périer Loves Clerio & Lozia 114 Her Uncle was out~witted.

?1706 E. Hickeringill Priest-craft: 2nd Pt. vi. 62 (Subtle Rebekkah) that club'd with her beloved Son Jacob, to Cheat (or, rather, as the Quakers word it, to) Outwit his own Father and Brother.

1773 D. Garrick Albumazar iv. i. 56 We shall see If cunning can't out-wit astrology.

1846 R. C. Trench Notes Miracles v. 173 The very essence of evil in its highest manifestation, that is evermore..outwitted and defeats itself.

1857 H. T. Buckle Hist. Civilisation Eng. I. iv. 197 Every commercial treaty was an attempt made by one nation to outwit another.

1931 T. F. Powys Unclay i. 1 His cunning had always outwitted their blundering onslaughts.

1957 V. Packard Hidden Persuaders xviii. 211 Mr Whyte, in his book The Organization Man, tells executives how they can outwit the psychological tests by cheating.

2000 Times 3 Aug. (Appointments First Executive section) 15/3 (advt.) It is not a good idea to try to outwit the new trade union laws, Ms Hambleton argues.

1659 J. Gauden Ἱερα Δακρυα ii. xxxi. 253 What arts did Church~men in former times use, when they did so much out-wit and out-wealth us.

1847 R. W. Emerson Poems 69 Thou..Shalt outsee the seer, outwit the sages.

1875 Contemp. Rev. 25 750 The tricks of Sir Robert..and their outwittal by Matilda.

1862 F. D. Maurice Mod. Philos. iv. §2. 96 If he can outwit the great outwitter.

1931 T. S. Moore Sicilian Idyll in Poems 169 But they..let the hussy pass, Returned her kisses blown back down the road, And crowned the mirth of their outwitter's heart.

2000 Irish Voice 28 Mar. 16 The famous Miler McGrath, sometime Archbishop of Cashel, but also bon vivant,..schemer of schemes, charmer and outwitter of all his enemies.

1649 Moderate Intelligencer No. 230. 2213 The cessation of arms between Sir Robert Steward and Collonell Richard Coot..hath proved an out-witting of one of the greatest wits of Ulster or the World.

?1706 E. Hickeringill Priest-craft: 2nd Pt. viii. 78 Their Cheating,..Outwitting and Over-reaching, in Shops and Exchange.

1775 J. Langhorne Country Justice ii. 20 The worship'd Calves of their outwitting Knaves.

1891 Athenæum 9 May 599/3 This perpetual outwitting of examiners.

a1987 D. Wakoski How do you tell Story? in Emerald Ice (1988) 301 Surely, it is the intelligence to survive, not the outwitting softness we should honor?

1992 W. F. Buckley WindFall i. 17 The book's sheer joy lies in her hour-by-hour outwitting of the young pomposo.