GOT AROUND Synonyms: 184 Similar and Opposite Words

got around

verb

past tense of get around

as in defeated

to achieve a victory over somehow, an inexperienced lawyer managed to get around the media giant's stable of high-priced legal eagles

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in circumvented

to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness somehow she managed to get around the rules for paying the sales tax on a car bought out of state

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in spread

to become known word of the discovery of gold quickly got around

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as in avoided

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery their lawyer has spent months trying to get around certain restrictions in the contract

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 got around When word got around, more famous people started popping in, Delany says. — Sam Kashner, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026 Although the city, bound by a freakishly heavy snowfall and bitter cold, was hard to traverse, Dylan, now with plenty of time on his hands, got around. — Sean Wilentz, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026 Notre Dame responded to Jefferson's big play with a 17-play, 75-yard drive lasting more than nine minutes by the time Carr got around the right side for a fourth-down TD keeper. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026 Alcott, Bekker, and their colleagues got around that limitation with a new technique that separates phosphorus according to the type of mineral it is bound to. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026 Two weeks after its short run ended, word got around, and Jaques received an out-of-the blue call from Sky’s then managing director of content (and later CEO of Sky Studios) Gary Davey, inviting him in for a chat. — Alex Ritman, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026 When word got around this week that the North Collins Street restaurant might be closing after 37 years, friends rallied around Airways and gave it a business boost to keep it around through Dallas Cowboys football season. — Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026 The gender data gap did not close because medicine finally got around to it. — Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Capital One got around federal limits on swipe fees by buying Discover’s card network; other banks complained, then went out looking for their own loophole. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 7 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for got around

Verb

Stevens defeated El-Sayed in both counties in the August primary, drawing support from Black and Jewish voters who are important parts of the Democratic coalition.

— Joey Cappelletti, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Also claiming titles Thursday were 4A Oconee County, which defeated Columbus, and Bremen, with a win over Gordon Lee in Class 2A/A.

— Caitlyn Stroh-Page, AJC.com, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of defeated

Verb

Ballmer and the Clippers are serving vast penalties after the NBA determined the team circumvented the salary cap to steer funds to star Kawhi Leonard.

— Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
The sides agreed to that trade in late June but didn't complete it until earlier this month, delaying the process because of the NBA's investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented salary cap rules on Leonard's behalf.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of circumvented

Verb

The leachate is byproduct of an underground garbage fire that has only spread since it was first confirmed in 2023.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
If that model spreads, shoppers may set rules once and let agents transact repeatedly without a per-order click.

— Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of spread

Verb

In fact, Nelson deliberately avoided casting into the area where Robertson had been catching his fish, despite the enormous money at stake.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Boise State football avoided a near-catastrophic home defeat to Texas State last night, eking out a 46-45 win despite the visiting Bobcats embarking on a 36-0 second-half run.

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of avoided

Verb

In an industry obsessed with the next big thing, Ben Bennett has mastered the art of actually seeing what comes next.

— Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026
Miller—who is no stranger to extramarital tabloid scandals herself—has also mastered her getting-cheated-on performances.

— Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of mastered

Verb

On his lone touchdown pass, Mayfield escaped Carolina pressure, evaded to the right, and threw it on the run, off his back foot, all while leaning back.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
Instead, Cartwright returns to his deceased grandfather’s home thrilled to see that Baker has successfully evaded both the Russian assassins and MI5’s own rabid dogs.

— K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of evaded

Verb

He was arrested five days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after patrons recognized him at a McDonald’s from photos circulated by the NYPD.

— Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 31 Oct. 2026
According to legends that circulated in the Middle Ages, the Codex Gigas was created by a monk in Podlažice who sinned and was sentenced to death by immurement—live entombment in a walled enclosure.

— Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of circulated

Verb

Concerns mounted in July, when OpenAI disclosed that two of its models escaped containment, accessed the open internet and breached a company called Hugging Face.

— Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
So far, these productions have largely escaped disruption, but the riots have rattled film crews and prompted warnings from Hollywood studios’ security departments.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026