circumvents

verb

present tense third-person singular of circumvent
1
as in bypasses
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 avoids
to avoid by going around circumvented the traffic jam by taking an alternate route

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in traverses
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of circumvents Saudi Arabia's crucial East-West pipeline that circumvents the Strait of Hormuz is pumping oil at its full capacity of 7 million barrels a day, according to a person familiar with the matter. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026 Additionally, because the $50 co-payment circumvents Part D, the amount doesn’t count toward a beneficiary’s annual deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. — Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 The exhibit mostly circumvents contextualizing the architectural details of the office, and rather aims to explicate the man who worked within it. — Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2026 Sea Change reads as an intimate character study, one that circumvents familiar narratives of Asian intergenerational trauma in favor of a more complicated reckoning. — Tessa Yang, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026 RevMed’s daraxonrasib cleverly circumvents this problem by acting as a molecular stickum. — Bloomberg, Oc Register, 29 May 2026 This funneling of men outside of the traditional health system circumvents the important step of appropriate medical workups. — Denise Asafu-Adjei, STAT, 13 Apr. 2026 Saudi Arabia’s crucial East-West pipeline that circumvents the Strait of Hormuz is pumping oil at its full capacity of 7 million barrels a day, according to a person familiar with the matter. — Emma Ross-Thomas, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026 Privacy advocates argue the practice circumvents the Fourth Amendment and is contrary to a 2015 law that bars federal agencies from collecting bulk data on Americans. — Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumvents
  1. bypasses
  2. avoids
  3. traverses
  4. evades
  5. circles
  6. ignores
  7. encircles
  8. escapes
Verb
  • Because mRNA technology bypasses the slow process of growing viruses in eggs, mRNA manufacturing allows for later influenza strain selection and fast production, unlike traditional vaccines.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Thune said of reconciliation, which bypasses a 60-vote filibuster.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of bypasses
Verb
  • But there will be situations with no course that protects every stakeholder, avoids every loss and produces an outcome everyone can support.
    — Jochen Schwenk, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The objectors' subsequent ululation echoed a requiem for a fallen hero--all over a time shift that accessing the PBS app avoids entirely.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of avoids
Verb
  • This fourth full-length from the London jazz quintet traverses Black diasporic sound traditions — grime, reggae, Afrobeat — mulling over the question of how music so joyous can be rooted in histories of pain.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Reliever optimizes availability After taking his head out of the cold tub, Blubaugh traverses the bowels of Daikin Park.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of traverses
Verb
  • Neither of those interpretations would be entirely invalid, exactly, and yet The Basics of Philosophy — ironically enough, given its title — mostly evades any such moral didacticism.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Journalists and negotiators follow up when someone evades the point.
    — Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of evades
Verb
  • Travelling roughly 300 miles (483 kilometers) above Earth's surface at about 17,000 mph (27,000 kph), Hubble circles the planet roughly 15 times per day, which is about one lap every 95 minutes.
    — Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • After an attempt to solve the climate crisis created a worldwide perma-blizzard, what’s left of humanity now circles the globe in a speeding train that’s strictly segregated by economic status.
    — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of circles
Verb
  • The White House is likely to play hardball if confronted with investigations, and Democrats are bracing for an administration that potentially ignores subpoenas or refuses to turn over paperwork that lawmakers are demanding.
    — Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Defending Israel's military strikes, Netanyahu blasted the dramatic hall exit as mind-blowing hypocrisy that ignores the global threat posed by Iran.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of ignores
Verb
  • In May, the Georgia Department of Transportation closed a major section of the road, which encircles the city of Atlanta and connects much of the greater metro area, sending both intra- and interstate traffic through the city.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The paint color that encircles the wallpaper is important, but Chloe Redmond Warner says the bread should be the least exciting part of this sandwich.
    — Kelsey Mulvey, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of encircles
Verb
  • From solo escapes to six-person group campouts, the Campanero trailer is built from the ground up to serve as a modular platform for comfortable overnighting.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Malo Knitwear specialist Malo offered a transitional wardrobe befitting the earlier days of spring in the city through to summer escapes on the Spanish island of Menorca.
    — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of escapes

Browse Nearby Words

circumvention
circumvents
circus
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Circumvents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumvents. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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