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
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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
By building on federal land, Stein said, developers are then able to circumvent some of the local permitting requirements that would otherwise be required on private land.
—
Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Your publisher is hoping to circumvent that by coming up with a mix of words that will enable a higher search yield.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
The rise of the internet and social media means that brands have significantly less control of their narrative, but for Miller-Idriss, there are ways to circumvent messaging that doesn’t align with their values.
—Steve Salter, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
The man reportedly circumvented barriers that surround the altar, climbed the steps and urinated on the holy structure.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circumvent
Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Your publisher is hoping to circumvent that by coming up with a mix of words that will enable a higher search yield.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
The rise of the internet and social media means that brands have significantly less control of their narrative, but for Miller-Idriss, there are ways to circumvent messaging that doesn’t align with their values.
—Steve Salter, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
The man reportedly circumvented barriers that surround the altar, climbed the steps and urinated on the holy structure.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circumvent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumvent
Verb
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Court documents show Bass and Randle knew the window was a safety hazard since June 2023, and that their children had been able to bypass the locks since December.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
21 Oct. 2025
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When exposed to cancer-causing agents or to ultraviolet B light, McSCs can bypass this protective response.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Of course, anyone with a tree-nut allergy should avoid almond butter altogether.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
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Tillery also advises her clients to skip overpacking and go with carry-on luggage to avoid unnecessary baggage fees or inconveniences if there are flight changes.—
Essence,
Essence,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Disney's Parr House overlooks Cotino Bay, a massive body of water that guests will also be able to traverse via different types of watercraft.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
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There is also a dancing thread, taking the shape of the Quarona factory and circling the globe before arriving in New York, where a Loro Piana truck with raw fiber bales traverses the facade.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Simmons added that the play would’ve worked in the game except that Stone had to evade a defender, and that caused Jenkins to briefly stop.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
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First Ascents in South Korea Chouinard reportedly drank an entire bottle of soy sauce in an effort to spike his blood pressure and evade a draft for the Korean War.—
Maya Silver,
Outside,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Before a lunar landing mission is attempted, NASA is planning to launch four astronauts on its Artemis II mission in 2026 on a 10-day mission circling the moon.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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Ellison has been circling WBD since early September, having made his intentions known about a month after the completion of the $8 billion Skydance-Paramount merger.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
21 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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Over the summer the FDA convened a panel on the safety of certain antidepressants in pregnancy that tried to cast doubt on this research, ignoring the real harms of not treating depression or anxiety for pregnant people themselves and for their fetuses.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
23 Oct. 2025
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But the writers, like Noah and Joanne, are ignoring that fundamental fork in the road in favor of inane high jinks from the couple and their increasingly irksome friends and family.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circumvent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumvent. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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