1
as in to bypass
to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness
employees who try to circumvent the company's dress code
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to avoid
to avoid by going around
circumvented the traffic jam by taking an alternate route
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to traverse
to travel completely around
most casual joggers will be able to circumvent the reservoir without too much of a strain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of circumvent
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and members of the House of Saud have opted to circumvent the potentially treacherous waters of the Southern Ocean, altogether.
—
Brad Japhe, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2025
Cosmologists and mathematical physicists often seek ways to circumvent the theorem, looking to quantum gravity (or other non-standard scenarios) to break us out of the requirements that general relativity imposes.
—Big Think, 24 Oct. 2025
And, though users can make the most of lackluster AI moderation (Grok Imagine) or figure out clever ways to circumvent guardrails (Sora) in order to misrepresent famous people, the greater danger probably comes from videos that purport to capture events involving unknown parties.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
Yet the group is clearly circumventing the restrictions.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circumvent
Brad Japhe, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2025
Cosmologists and mathematical physicists often seek ways to circumvent the theorem, looking to quantum gravity (or other non-standard scenarios) to break us out of the requirements that general relativity imposes.
—Big Think, 24 Oct. 2025
And, though users can make the most of lackluster AI moderation (Grok Imagine) or figure out clever ways to circumvent guardrails (Sora) in order to misrepresent famous people, the greater danger probably comes from videos that purport to capture events involving unknown parties.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
Yet the group is clearly circumventing the restrictions.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circumvent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumvent
Verb
-
Forecaster say the storm will head northeast and bypass Florida.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Bessent, who specialized in foreign exchange in a decades-long hedge fund career, organized a $20 billion foreign-exchange swap with Argentina’s central bank earlier this month — an unusual structure that bypassed the US Federal Reserve, which is typically the lead party in such arrangements.—
Daniel Flatley,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The update to trick-or-treating time was made to avoid a conflict with high school football playoff games.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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To avoid making a bigger mess, place your rug on a tarp, drop cloth, or large piece of plastic instead of directly onto the ground.—
Jennifer Beck Goldblatt,
Architectural Digest,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While checking candy for tampering is important, government agencies and children's advocacy organizations concentrate more energy on other safety concerns while getting ready for Halloween night, including smart costume decisions and how to wisely traverse the streets.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
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Not only is the light spooky, but the three-hour tour traverses large rooms where the tuberculosis clinic was housed.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In addition to the allegations that the companies hid the risks of taking acetaminophen, Paxton’s lawsuit also alleges that Johnson & Johnson sought to evade liability for its actions by spinning off Kenvue.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
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Neither Father Burke or Sister Irene realize it at the end of the movie, but Valak evades banishment by possessing Frenchie.—
Julie Tremaine,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Just before the robbery, the Jeep, which didn’t have a license plate, had circled the bank.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
28 Oct. 2025
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Skinner also gave his TikTok followers a full 360° view of their Zootopia costumes with a video of them dancing in Times Square as a camera circled them.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Epstein story is all about people who are sufficiently rich or entitled escaping the full consequences of their actions, something that is still happening here.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
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Seven years after disappearing from his California home in 1972, 14-year-old Steven Stayner escaped his kidnapper, Kenneth Parnell, and returned to his family in 1980.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There is a lot of red—99 naval and coast guard vessels, to be precise, completely encircling Taiwan during PLA exercises last December.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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In the same month the Germans encircled Leningrad and began the siege of the city.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The lawsuit alleges Parker ignored concerns raised by several teachers and staff members, including that the student may have had a gun in his possession hours before the shooting.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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In fact, they’d merely been habituated, the way a bird learns to ignore a rhino.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circumvent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumvent. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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