as in bypassing
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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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Recent Examples of sidestepping
Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025
Community Over Customers The most powerful marketing machine today is sidestepping a reliance on reaching your own audience via algorithms.
—Sam Saideman, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025
These Standard Model interactions would have heated the inflating universe, sidestepping the complication of needing a subsequent reheating phase.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2025
The dramatization of one of the darkest chapters in American crime history has drawn plaudits for sidestepping easy sensationalism about the Chicago contractor and amateur clown who murdered 33 boys in the 1970s, burying them in a crawl space beneath his house.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
The wood-burning stove kills two birds with one stone (well, technically about two dozen stones, give or take), providing an authentic, traditional sauna experience while also sidestepping the need for electricity from an outlet or portable generator.
—Dean Stattmann, Outside, 19 Oct. 2025
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
Verb
Trump relied on the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose his tariffs, sidestepping Congress in the process.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025
Community Over Customers The most powerful marketing machine today is sidestepping a reliance on reaching your own audience via algorithms.
—Sam Saideman, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025
These Standard Model interactions would have heated the inflating universe, sidestepping the complication of needing a subsequent reheating phase.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2025
The dramatization of one of the darkest chapters in American crime history has drawn plaudits for sidestepping easy sensationalism about the Chicago contractor and amateur clown who murdered 33 boys in the 1970s, burying them in a crawl space beneath his house.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
The wood-burning stove kills two birds with one stone (well, technically about two dozen stones, give or take), providing an authentic, traditional sauna experience while also sidestepping the need for electricity from an outlet or portable generator.
—Dean Stattmann, Outside, 19 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidestepping
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
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Johnston’s administration, which says the cameras have been a game changer for fighting crime, agreed to a no-cost extension of Flock’s contract in October, circumventing a vote from the council.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Yet the group is clearly circumventing the restrictions.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Take the train from Copenhagen in under three hours and wander Aarhus’s pretty streets strung with Christmas lights, ducking into boutiques and cafés before making your way to one of two Christmas markets.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
27 Oct. 2025
-
For a moment, Smith became overwhelmed, ducking to the side of the pillar while wiping tears away.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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These risks have prompted the United States, China, and other spacefaring nations to develop advanced systems for tracking, avoiding, and potentially removing orbital debris.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Maximize calcium absorption by pairing it with vitamin D, healthy fats, and proper timing, while avoiding absorption blockers such as high-oxalate foods and excessive caffeine.—
Trang Tran,
Verywell Health,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The debate over lasting solutions reveals the complexity of how criminal organizations have grown so powerful, weaving themselves into nearly every layer of Brazilian society over time.—
Alessandra Freitas,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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What results is a familiar historical drama, weaving together many various characters in the buildup to the climactic courtroom showdown.—
Lindsey Bahr,
Boston Herald,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The law prohibits the circumvention of security measures used online by a ticket issuer.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
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Sora’s release, and the rapid circumvention of its authentication mechanisms, is a reminder that society is unprepared for the next wave of increasingly realistic, personalized deepfakes.—
Nikita Ostrovsky,
Time,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kurchenko was also close to Viktor Yanukovych, the Kremlin-leaning Ukrainian president at the time, and was later accused by the succeeding Ukrainian government of systematically evading millions in taxes with the collusion of officials in Yanukovych’s administration.—
Olena Loginova,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
He was arrested on suspicion of evading arrest or detention with a vehicle.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sidestepping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidestepping. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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