1
as in circumvented
to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness
the eager enlistee sidestepped the regulations by lying about his age
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Recent Examples of sidestepped
Paramount Skydance, in a Thursday statement, sidestepped Warner’s latest complaints about the enormous debt load that Paramount would need to pull off a takeover.
—
Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
But, at corner in particular, the Longhorns sidestepped that concern.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 2 Jan. 2026
Artists pulled out of holiday performances in protest, and CBS sidestepped the new name in its Kennedy Center Honors broadcast, underscoring the controversy.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
It’s often sidestepped on the dessert spread—or prone to endless regifting.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 15 Dec. 2025
When asked if the Heat needed to get the ball to Herro more often in Wednesday’s second half after his 20-point first half, Adebayo sidestepped the question.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 Dec. 2025
In the November 22 TikTok video posted to the account @conopo, Maisy sidestepped out of arm's reach from the daughter, who came off the bus first.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Performance sidestepped the concepts of both uniqueness and reproducibility (which, at any rate, no longer offered viable business models) and generated different kinds of attention.
—Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
Nintendo, on the other hand, has sidestepped this boom and bust cycle.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025
Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
But, at corner in particular, the Longhorns sidestepped that concern.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 2 Jan. 2026
Artists pulled out of holiday performances in protest, and CBS sidestepped the new name in its Kennedy Center Honors broadcast, underscoring the controversy.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
It’s often sidestepped on the dessert spread—or prone to endless regifting.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 15 Dec. 2025
When asked if the Heat needed to get the ball to Herro more often in Wednesday’s second half after his 20-point first half, Adebayo sidestepped the question.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 Dec. 2025
In the November 22 TikTok video posted to the account @conopo, Maisy sidestepped out of arm's reach from the daughter, who came off the bus first.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Performance sidestepped the concepts of both uniqueness and reproducibility (which, at any rate, no longer offered viable business models) and generated different kinds of attention.
—Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
Nintendo, on the other hand, has sidestepped this boom and bust cycle.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidestepped
Verb
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In Washington, the president believes that might makes right, that the courts are simply speed bumps, not stop signs — that democracy is a nuisance to be circumvented.—
Sacramento Bee staff,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
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What happened this weekend circumvented all of that.—
Jon Duffy,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Andy Byron, then CEO of tech company Astronomer, and the company’s Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot broke away from a cosy embrace and ducked for cover to avoid being caught on kiss cam.—
Will Barker,
TheWeek,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Dugan and her attorneys left the courtroom, ducked into a side conference room and closed the door without speaking to reporters.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Last night’s premiere marked Hadid’s first major red carpet moment of 2026, having avoided any awards ceremony or glitzy gala so far.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Crocker-Johnson avoided early foul trouble and led all scorers with 10 points as Minnesota shot 56% from the field.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Ravens would find the endzone once again with nine minutes left in regulation after Lamar Jackson evaded heavy pressure from Pittsburgh's front seven to find Zay Flowers for a 50-yard touchdown pass to reclaim the lead, 17-13.—
Garrett Behanna,
CBS News,
4 Jan. 2026
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Out-of-state businesses that evaded city taxes by hiding city business income.—
Randall Fox,
New York Daily News,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Those who remain are concentrated in Venezuela’s cities, including its capital, Caracas, where the street market in the Catia neighborhood once was so busy that shoppers bumped into one another and dodged oncoming traffic.—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Fortune,
10 Jan. 2026
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French President Emmanuel Macron dodged a similar question.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Harbaugh bypassed him twice for the defensive coordinator job, but there was a sense by the Ravens that he’s even better suited to be an NFL head coach because of his ability to lead, communicate and command a room.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Institutions were obstacles to be blamed or bypassed.—
Philip Martin,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Ramírez, who was supposed to be studying chemistry and physics, ignored such strictures.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
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The supermassive black hole’s forces are unfathomably strong, but the influences of the giant galaxy cluster around it can’t be ignored either.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sidestepped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidestepped. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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