To outwit someone is to beat them with your head, not your strength — a trick, a plan, a faster thought. The fox outwits the hunters. A child hides the key and outwits the grown-ups. You hear it in stories and films more than in office email; it has a slightly tale-like feel. Wit here is the old word for mind and cleverness, not “a funny joke,” though witty grew from the same root and now often means funny-clever. You outwit a person, or sometimes a system. American everyday talk may prefer outsmart; outwit is a cousin with an older coat. It is praise for cunning, not for punching harder.