circumvent

play

verb cir·cum·vent \ ˌsər-kᵊm-ˈvent \

Definition of circumvent

transitive verb

1 a :to hem in

Circumvented by the enemy, he had to surrender.

b :to make a circuit around

the river circumvented

2 :to manage to get around especially by ingenuity or stratagem

the setup circumvented the red tape
—Lynne McTaggart

circumvent a problem

—

circumvention

play \-ˈven(t)-shən\ noun

See circumvent defined for English-language learners

See circumvent defined for kids

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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 of circumvent from the Web

Birotte's order also enjoins the defendants from forming any new entities to circumvent the TRO.

— ashley cullins, The Hollywood Reporter, "Hollywood Docket: Showtime Wins Bid to Pre-Empt Mayweather-McGregor Fight Piracy," 25 Aug. 2017
Landrieu has also declared a state of emergency in New Orleans, which allows city government to circumvent some regulations to respond more quickly to a disaster.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "John Bel Edwards declares state of emergency over New Orleans flooding concerns," 10 Aug. 2017
While lawmakers have circumvented the restrictions in the past, there has yet to be a legislative solution offered for this year’s budget.

— emily cochrane, New York Times, "Forces Align Against a New Military Branch to ‘Win Wars’ in Space," 26 July 2017
But new tactics gave added impact to its aid, circumventing Madagascar’s geographical challenges.

— peter ford, The Christian Science Monitor, "Madagascar skirted famine – barely. Now, it's boosting resilience before drought returns.," 25 July 2017
This allows state law enforcement to explicitly circumvent state forfeiture restrictions and profit while doing so.

— david french, National Review, "America’s Asset-Forfeiture Scam Is Law Enforcement’s Disgrace," 20 July 2017
French regulator CNIL, however, says that the removals must be global to uphold Europeans' right to privacy because experienced Internet users can circumvent the Google domestic domain where the delisting takes place.

— reuters, Fortune, "France’s Fight Over Google Search Results Was Kicked to Europe’s Top Court," 19 July 2017
WhatsApp users in China reported Tuesday on other social media platforms that the app was partly inaccessible unless virtual private network software was used to circumvent China's censorship apparatus, known colloquially as The Great Firewall.

— gerry shih, The Christian Science Monitor, "Disruption of WhatsApp in China triggers censorship fears," 18 July 2017
Members of Trump’s legal team have since reportedly complained about Kushner discussing the investigation with his father-in-law, circumventing the president’s lawyers, and want to build a firewall between the two.

— emily jane fox, The Hive, "Jared Kushner Isn’t Going Anywhere," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'circumvent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Circular History of circumvent

If you’ve ever felt as if someone were circling around the rules, you have an idea of the origins of "circumvent" - it derives from the Latin circum, meaning "circle," and "ventus," the past participle of the Latin verb venire, meaning "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. Today, however, "circumvent" more often suggests avoidance than entrapment; it typically means to "get around" someone or something, as in our example sentences.