1
as in to circumvent
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sidestep
To sidestep the language issue, scientists of the era mostly published their work in classical Latin.
—
Nicholas Green, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
The court ruled on the issue after two groups of plaintiffs—businesses and states—sued the Trump administration, accusing the president of violating the United States Constitution by sidestepping Congress to impose the tariffs.
—Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025
Several ultimately stepped down following their testimony before Congress, including Harvard’s Claudine Gay, who apologized for lawyerly answers that sidestepped how protesters calling for genocide should be disciplined.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 29 May 2025
Laura Grimm, the acting administrator of the NOAA and a marine scientist, sidestepped specific questions about how budget cuts aimed at climate science would affect the organization’s work and highlighted the vital work of the agency to help communities prepare and save lives.
—Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sidestep
Nicholas Green, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
The court ruled on the issue after two groups of plaintiffs—businesses and states—sued the Trump administration, accusing the president of violating the United States Constitution by sidestepping Congress to impose the tariffs.
—Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025
Several ultimately stepped down following their testimony before Congress, including Harvard’s Claudine Gay, who apologized for lawyerly answers that sidestepped how protesters calling for genocide should be disciplined.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 29 May 2025
Laura Grimm, the acting administrator of the NOAA and a marine scientist, sidestepped specific questions about how budget cuts aimed at climate science would affect the organization’s work and highlighted the vital work of the agency to help communities prepare and save lives.
—Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sidestep
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidestep
Verb
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In doing so, Ford circumvented a hefty 25% tariff and only paid a 2.5% import duty.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
18 June 2025
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Presidents since Nixon have circumvented the resolution by simply not recognizing it or by asserting their power as commander in chief.—
ELIZABETH N. SAUNDERS,
Foreign Affairs,
16 June 2025
Verb
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The parade weaves through the historic downtown, bringing together antique cars, floats, and locals looking to show off their red, white, and blue.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
18 June 2025
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Ah Loo’s vibrant work weaves traditional Pacific Island attire with modern silhouettes and design.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
17 June 2025
Verb
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The movie also acknowledges that there is a climate crisis, but tries to avoid having viewers frozen with fear.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2025
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But Augustin pleaded guilty to second-degree assault as a hate crime, avoiding even more prison time if he had been convicted by a Queens jury on the manslaughter charge.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Some kids have ducked under the rope line to sit in deep crevices in the base of the trunk.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
14 June 2025
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The witness ducked down and then looked up; Nichols was staring at the witness.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2025
Verb
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If your privacy practices have been less than perfect in the past—and whose have not, given the vanishingly tiny odds of evading every form of digital data collection—additional information about you from over the years is likely available from hundreds of data brokers.—
Andy Greenberg,
Wired News,
16 June 2025
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Hundreds of Iranian missiles rained down across Israel beginning Saturday night, some of them evading the country's sophisticated defense systems.—
Rebecca Rosman,
NPR,
15 June 2025
Verb
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The majority of the pack-up operation in the F1 paddock was already complete, leaving those still at the track to dodge between freight boxes on their way out in the Montreal darkness.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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Regime change Pushing for regime change -- a goal the IDF has explicitly denied and Netanyahu has dodged questions on -- might prove the biggest gamble of Israel's attack, experts told ABC News.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
19 June 2025
Verb
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If Michael Misa is somehow bypassed after the first two picks, the Blackhawks would be happy to take him.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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Senator [Tim] Kaine's resolution is a common-sense step to make sure no president can bypass the Constitution and launch military action without accountability.—
Anna Commander
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sidestep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidestep. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.
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