side·step
ˈsīd-ˌstep 
sidestepped; sidestepping; sidesteps
2
: to move out of the way of : avoid
sidestep a blow
sidestepper
noun
1
: a step aside (as in boxing to avoid a blow)
2
: a step taken sideways (as when climbing on skis)
Synonyms
Examples of sidestep in a Sentence
Verb
She sidestepped the reporter's question.
They're sidestepping the real issue.
Recent Examples on the Web
Evan Haga, SPIN, 11 Apr. 2024
Making an end run After losing elections, some teams subsequently sidestep voters to get new stadiums.
—David A. Lieb, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
The best sunscreen now sidesteps the biggest drawbacks, like a ghostly white finish and off-putting scent, and offer more elegance by way of a transparent appearance, weightless feel, and even the inclusion of nourishing ingredients.
—Deanna Pai, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2024
Despite the existence of parental control tools, parents have complained that children can oftentimes sidestep or circumnavigate them.
—Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 29 Mar. 2024
Yet Sunday's Academy Awards didn’t sidestep the labor strife that left its screenwriters and actors out of work for much of 2023.
—Andrew Dalton and Tim Reynolds, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024
And one party, but not the other, appointed a vaccine-skeptical surgeon general in Florida who recently sidestepped standard public-health advice in the middle of an outbreak.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
In January, the campaign joined TikTok for the first time, sidestepping criticism that the platform could be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans.
—Makena Kelly, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2024
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, when asked that question by a reporter on Monday, sidestepped and reiterated overall U.S. support for Israel and said the U.S. would continue to advocate for minimizing civilian casualties, more humanitarian assistance and a potential hostage deal.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2024
Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 5 July 2023
The cabin also packs USB-A and USB-C charging ports and a wireless charger, and ingress and egress are improve thanks to wider side steps and a more vertical A-pillar.
—Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 27 July 2023
Officials with the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen said Merck's lawsuit is an attempt to side step popular legislation.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 6 June 2023
An available side step is there to make accessing the bed a bit easier.
—Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 10 May 2023
There isn’t a common world of respect from one human to another that side steps gender – and for women, side steps age.
—Janelle Davis, CNN, 12 Mar. 2023
The Sierra now offers power-retractable side steps and an active exhaust system available on upper trims.
—Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 8 Apr. 2023
It should be noted that entire asset tokenization is one of the regulatory areas that demand attention in these early stages, where, for now, fractional ownership tokenization is managing to take a side step around that particular area of legislation.
—Johan Hajji, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2022
This side step might not work for everything, like video game apps, for which there is often no way to pay for stuff on a website.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2022
Verb
On his solo debut, Perceive its Beauty, Acknowledge its Grace, woodwind player sidesteps spiritual-jazz window dressing to deliver soundscapes of intellectual heft
Shabaka – Perceive its Beauty, Acknowledge its Grace
Impulse!
—Evan Haga, SPIN, 11 Apr. 2024
Making an end run After losing elections, some teams subsequently sidestep voters to get new stadiums.
—David A. Lieb, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
The best sunscreen now sidesteps the biggest drawbacks, like a ghostly white finish and off-putting scent, and offer more elegance by way of a transparent appearance, weightless feel, and even the inclusion of nourishing ingredients.
—Deanna Pai, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2024
Despite the existence of parental control tools, parents have complained that children can oftentimes sidestep or circumnavigate them.
—Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 29 Mar. 2024
Yet Sunday's Academy Awards didn’t sidestep the labor strife that left its screenwriters and actors out of work for much of 2023.
—Andrew Dalton and Tim Reynolds, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024
And one party, but not the other, appointed a vaccine-skeptical surgeon general in Florida who recently sidestepped standard public-health advice in the middle of an outbreak.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
In January, the campaign joined TikTok for the first time, sidestepping criticism that the platform could be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans.
—Makena Kelly, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2024
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, when asked that question by a reporter on Monday, sidestepped and reiterated overall U.S. support for Israel and said the U.S. would continue to advocate for minimizing civilian casualties, more humanitarian assistance and a potential hostage deal.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2024
Noun
Opting for the new trim includes new fender flares, lower door garnishes, side steps, and bed rails, as well as trim-specific orange center caps for the wheels.
—Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 5 July 2023
The cabin also packs USB-A and USB-C charging ports and a wireless charger, and ingress and egress are improve thanks to wider side steps and a more vertical A-pillar.
—Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 27 July 2023
Officials with the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen said Merck's lawsuit is an attempt to side step popular legislation.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 6 June 2023
An available side step is there to make accessing the bed a bit easier.
—Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 10 May 2023
There isn’t a common world of respect from one human to another that side steps gender – and for women, side steps age.
—Janelle Davis, CNN, 12 Mar. 2023
The Sierra now offers power-retractable side steps and an active exhaust system available on upper trims.
—Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 8 Apr. 2023
It should be noted that entire asset tokenization is one of the regulatory areas that demand attention in these early stages, where, for now, fractional ownership tokenization is managing to take a side step around that particular area of legislation.
—Johan Hajji, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2022
This side step might not work for everything, like video game apps, for which there is often no way to pay for stuff on a website.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sidestep.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sidestep
Cite this Entry
“Sidestep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sidestep. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sidestep
verb
side·step
-ˌstep
1
: to take a step to the side
2
: to avoid by a step to the side
sidestep a blow
3
: to avoid answering or dealing with
sidestep a question
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