circumvent

verb

cir·​cum·​vent ˌsər-kəm-ˈvent 

circumvented; circumventing; circumvents

transitive verb

1

: to manage to get around especially by ingenuity or stratagem

… the setup circumvented the red tape …

—Lynne McTaggart

circumvent a problem

2

a

: to hem in

Circumvented by the enemy, he had to surrender.

b

: to make a circuit around or bypass without going through

the river circumvented

circumvention

ˌsər-kəm-ˈven(t)-shən 

noun

Did you know?

The Circular History of Circumvent

If you’ve ever felt as if someone was running circles around those trying to get something done, you have an idea of the origins of circumvent—it comes from the Latin word circumventus, a form of the verb circumvenire, meaning “to surround or go around” (circumvenire combines the adverb circum, “in a circle around,” and the verb venire, “to come”). The earliest uses of circumvent referred to a tactic of hunting or warfare in which the quarry or enemy was encircled and captured. This meaning doesn’t exactly square with modern uses of the word. Today, circumvent more often suggests avoidance than entrapment; to come full circle, it typically means to “get around” someone or something, as by evading a problem or avoiding the law.

Synonyms of circumvent

• bypass
• avoid
• evade
• escape
• ignore

Examples of circumvent in a Sentence

Los Angeles was the beachhead for the sushi invasion, attracting many Japanese chefs eager to make their fortunes and to circumvent the grueling 10-year apprenticeship required in their homeland. —Jay McInerney, New York Times Book Review, 10 June 2007

… Rondon and Lyra paddled to the right side, where they found a channel that circumvented the worst part of the rapids. —Candice Millard, The River of Doubt, 2005

His appreciation of this finer side of life is circumvented by a cynicism that he tells me is common to Eastern Europeans. —Lynne Tillman, Motion Sickness, 1991

The thirty-six-hour workweek established by the garment-industry code was circumvented by having the workers punch out at five P.M., leave by the back door (their usual entrance), then return by the front door and work until eleven P.M. without punching the clock. —Melissa Hield, Speaking For Ourselves, (1977) 1984

We circumvented the problem by using a different program.

He found a way to circumvent the law.

Recent Examples on the Web

Landlords found other ways to circumvent the law, such as pressuring residents into making side payments and stalling paperwork. — Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026

The setup has been seen as so lucrative that a set of megabanks recently discussed trying to form their own payments network to circumvent the Durbin Amendment, according to the Wall Street Journal. — Jeff Kauflin, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Add agents into the mix, who can easily circumvent rules that prohibit contacting the player, and chaos ensues. — ABC News, 22 July 2026

In attempting to follow that instruction, OpenAI said the model spent an hour searching for ways to circumvent sandbox restrictions intended to block external access to the Internet. — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 22 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin circumventus, past participle of circumvenire, from circum- + venire to come — more at come

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for circumvent

• discontent
• fundament
• malcontent
• occident
• orient
• president
• presidente
• reinvent
• represent
• underwent
• accent
• advent

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Kids Definition

circumvent

verb

cir·​cum·​vent ˌsər-kəm-ˈvent 

1

: to go around : bypass entry 2

2

: to get the better of or avoid the force or effect of by cleverness

circumvented the rules

circumvention

-ˈven-chən 

noun