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
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
This enables organizations to centralize control while sidestepping many of the risks associated with DIY pipelines.
—Taylor Brown, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
There’s no sidestepping this directive.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
Rather than set itself up for a losing battle of expectations against those stores, Amazon is simply sidestepping it.
—Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 22 Nov. 2024
After sidestepping any possibility of Jones triggering a $23 million injury guarantee by benching the starter, the Giants are giving DeVito another audition in the nation’s biggest media market—which includes a Thanksgiving clash with the Dallas Cowboys.
—Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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
This enables organizations to centralize control while sidestepping many of the risks associated with DIY pipelines.
—Taylor Brown, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
There’s no sidestepping this directive.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
Rather than set itself up for a losing battle of expectations against those stores, Amazon is simply sidestepping it.
—Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 22 Nov. 2024
After sidestepping any possibility of Jones triggering a $23 million injury guarantee by benching the starter, the Giants are giving DeVito another audition in the nation’s biggest media market—which includes a Thanksgiving clash with the Dallas Cowboys.
—Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 20 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidestepping
Verb
-
Bogdan is ordered by Ventham to start digging at the back of the cemetery to begin property development, circumventing the protest at the entrance.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Starlink chip scammers might be circumventing Facebook’s fraud systems by not mentioning SpaceX or Starlink in the ad's text.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The third shot was when everybody started ducking low and all these shots were like slow, until the fourth shot.—
Shimon Prokupecz,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
-
The video, also obtained by NBC News, WBRC and CNN, shows children dressed in their school uniforms ducking and running out of the building.—
Bethany Brown,
People.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Holding the youths accountable and avoiding jail is not the program's only goal.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
But avoiding these motions is another way for the wrist to weaken.—
Novant Health,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The story unfolds in Agra during the 1990s, weaving together romantic elements with comedic beats and supernatural scares.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Naming the bags is my way of weaving culture directly into design.—
Ugonnaora Owoh,
Essence,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Architectural Details From cornices to skirting boards, architectural features are part of the foundation of English style.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Ogles has attacked O’Connell repeatedly this year, claiming city government has assisted violent criminals in evading arrest by federal immigration enforcement.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
4 Sep. 2025
-
After six months of barely evading capture, an escape plan was hatched that saw the soldier cross into Spain and eventual freedom.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As a result, Apple can continue raking in billions of dollars from Google while also dodging what would have likely been a daunting task affecting Apple’s most important products, from the iPhone to the Mac and iPad.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Of course, Bond ends up in freefall at some point, with the player dodging skydiving enemies and flying cars while trying to rip away a parachute.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This provision prohibits salary-cap circumvention, meaning arrangements by teams to compensate players outside of their employment contracts.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Ironically, most cap circumvention penalties, such as draft picks, suspensions and fines, are team-only.—
Jesse Silvertown,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sidestepping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidestepping. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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