1
as in circumventing
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bypassing
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Recent Examples of sidestepping
Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
Washington has pressured Mexico to crack down on Chinese imports over allegations that goods are being rerouted to the US, thus sidestepping American levies placed on Beijing.
—semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
By sidestepping the fragile transfer process and enabling direct fabrication on liquid, Xu’s method could transform how scientists design lightweight, adaptable technologies across multiple fields.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Coliseum officials did weigh the possibility of sidestepping the permitting issue altogether — or at least letting the purchasers worry about it.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
Environmental groups and the Miccosukee tribe had sued the state and federal government for sidestepping federal environmental regulations when erecting the site in an airstrip in Big Cypress National Preserve.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
The two countries have also increasingly settled transactions in rubles and yuan with Putin announcing that 90% of the two countries transactions are being settled in those currencies as of December 2024, sidestepping Western financial systems.
—Earl Carr, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Then, in the summer between fifth and sixth grade, Little joined Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, sidestepping the platforms’ limits by lying about their age.
—Charlotte Alter, Time, 20 Aug. 2025
But immigration activists accused the agency of sidestepping those restrictions.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
The key is preparing before problems strikes, or sidestepping the problem by finding alternate transportation when possible.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
Washington has pressured Mexico to crack down on Chinese imports over allegations that goods are being rerouted to the US, thus sidestepping American levies placed on Beijing.
—semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
By sidestepping the fragile transfer process and enabling direct fabrication on liquid, Xu’s method could transform how scientists design lightweight, adaptable technologies across multiple fields.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Coliseum officials did weigh the possibility of sidestepping the permitting issue altogether — or at least letting the purchasers worry about it.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
Environmental groups and the Miccosukee tribe had sued the state and federal government for sidestepping federal environmental regulations when erecting the site in an airstrip in Big Cypress National Preserve.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
The two countries have also increasingly settled transactions in rubles and yuan with Putin announcing that 90% of the two countries transactions are being settled in those currencies as of December 2024, sidestepping Western financial systems.
—Earl Carr, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Then, in the summer between fifth and sixth grade, Little joined Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, sidestepping the platforms’ limits by lying about their age.
—Charlotte Alter, Time, 20 Aug. 2025
But immigration activists accused the agency of sidestepping those restrictions.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidestepping
Verb
-
With potential regulatory fights to come, this is a potential boon and is a way of circumventing content quotas and other obligations that European countries want to establish.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The federal government argued that the lower courts were circumventing the power of the justices and improperly limiting the authority of the Department of Homeland Security.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
While on The Tonight Show, Swift appeared shy when discussing the song’s lyrics, ducking her head down as the house band the Roots began playing a sensual tune.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Jasper and Michelle looked for Josie, screaming her name, ducking behind cars to avoid gunfire.—
Georgea Kovanis,
Freep.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Some strains are now capable of identifying and bypassing backups, targeting critical systems first and spreading laterally across devices and networks.—
Ro'ee Margalit,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Experts recommend gradually shifting your sleep schedule by 15 minutes each week, avoiding caffeine and screen time close to bedtime, and exercising regularly to manage stress.—
Claire Bugos,
Verywell Health,
8 Oct. 2025
-
The freezing of the reform could open a potential path for negotiations with the Socialist Party with the aim of avoiding a dissolution of parliament.—
Charlotte Reed,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
While critical local and Indigenous knowledge is recognized in the report, it is largely excluded from assessments, both because weaving it with conventional scientific analysis is difficult or because communities may choose to protect certain knowledge.—
Jessica Beaudette,
The Conversation,
11 Oct. 2025
-
This invisible, climate-polluting gas can escape into the water through fissures in the sea floor, often revealing itself with a stream of bubbles weaving their way up to the ocean surface.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That’s evidenced by the GOP’s skirting of the issue.—
CNN.com,
Mercury News,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The Dominator 3, at its base a Ford F-350, features an armored shell and skirting designed to keep winds from lifting the vehicle; strong windows, equipment for tracking weather data and a hydraulic spike system used to anchor the vehicle to the ground.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As part of these reforms, the Royal Navy impounded dozens of merchant vessels for allegedly evading customs duties, enraging merchants as well as mariners, shipwrights, stevedores, and others in port cities whose livelihoods depended on foreign commerce.—
Time,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Concerns erupted immediately after Sora videos were created last week featuring everything from James Bond playing poker with Altman to body cam footage of cartoon character Mario evading the police.—
Jaures Yip,
CNBC,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Swift has also been dodging questions about the date of their future nuptials in recent interviews coinciding with the release of her new album, The Life of a Showgirl.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Instead of dodging them, lean in… clarity lives on the other side of discomfort.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sidestepping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidestepping. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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