SIDESTEPPED Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

sidestepped

verb

past tense of sidestep

as in circumvented

to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness the eager enlistee sidestepped the regulations by lying about his age

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in ducked

to move suddenly aside or to and fro the startled spectator sidestepped away from the oncoming ball

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 sidestepped The Hawks’ veteran guard CJ McCollum, always excellent but usually a sideman to a brighter star, dribbled and sidestepped through and around the Knicks defense, suddenly looking like one of the best offensive players in the league. —

Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 2 June 2026 Brown sidestepped a question about the internal dysfunction that led to his exit from Philly, which included complaints about the Eagles’ offense and a soured relationship with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. —

Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026 The project’s developers sidestepped the city’s 30-foot coastal height limit approved by voters in 1972 through a state density bonus law to encourage affordable housing that apparently overrides local ordinances. —

Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2026 When asked if Richardson, who is 8-7 as a starter, will challenge Leonard for the QB2 role if he’s not traded, Dodds sidestepped the question. —

James Boyd, New York Times, 11 May 2026 When Republican lawmakers in 2016 sidestepped Missouri’s Democratic governor and enacted a sweeping firearms law, the move solidified the state as a gun rights haven. —

Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2026 School districts nationwide, including one in Northern California, have issued layoff notices to mental health workers after the Education Department sidestepped a court order protecting federal grant funding. —

Sudhin Thanawala, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026 Presidents of both parties have often sidestepped its requirements, while Congress has struggled to muster the unity or political will to compel compliance. —

Nik Popli, Time, 30 Apr. 2026 On the House floor, Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, sidestepped specifics about what factors went into the map. —

ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidestepped

Verb

Torre’s team, and later The Athletic, dug into the connections between Aspiration and Clippers’ billionaire owner Steve Ballmer, who had invested $60 million in the company, and the NBA announced an investigation to determine whether Ballmer and the Clippers circumvented salary cap rules.

— Shakeia Taylor, New York Times, 29 May 2026
While communication between candidate campaigns and independent committees is forbidden, these rules are commonly circumvented using legal but obvious methods.

— Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026