Synonyms of sidestepping

sidestepping 1 of 2

noun

as in bypassing

Related Words

• bypassing
• skirting
• circumvention
• dodging
• ducking
• runaround
• evasion
• out
• shunning
• eschewing
• eschewal
• cop-out
• avoidance
• elusion
• escape
• eluding
• deflection
• shaking
• prevention
• averting
• obviation
• precluding

Dissimilar Words

• submission
• endurance
• toleration
• abidance

sidestepping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of sidestep

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• circumventing
• avoiding
• evading
• bypassing
• ignoring
• dodging
• escaping
• skirting
• disobeying
• shortcutting
• eschewing
• getting around
• ducking
• beating
• shaking
• shunning
• eluding
• disregarding
• preventing
• shirking
• flouting
• outflanking
• deflecting
• diverting
• obviating
• parrying
• averting
• end-running
• warding (off)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• following
• keeping
• obeying
• observing
• complying (with)
• pursuing
• seeking
• accepting
• embracing
• courting
• welcoming
• incurring
• catching
• contracting
• acceding (to)
• assenting (to)
• acquiescing (to)

2

as in ducking

to move suddenly aside or to and fro

the startled spectator sidestepped away from the oncoming ball

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ducking
• weaving
• dodging
• zigzagging
• turning
• avoiding
• evading
• jinking
• escaping
• sliding
• eluding
• slaloming
• deflecting
• skirting
• shirking
• slipping
• parrying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sidestepping

Noun

Critics called the change an unjustified, undemocratic sidestepping of the state constitution and the will of voters. — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

One was the very clear sidestepping of Palestinian sovereignty, and the second was the issue of Iran. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2026

Verb

The Space Development Agency was established in 2019 to help speed up the deployment of US military space systems by sidestepping the Pentagon’s traditional sluggish bureaucracy. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026

PortaSplit’s outdoor unit clips onto a window bracket, needs no drilling, and is classified as furniture rather than a fixture — sidestepping facade-modification bans in cities like Paris. — Anniek Bao,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 2 July 2026

By sidestepping the partisan fray in his commercial songs, Foster was able to achieve widespread popularity. — Christopher Lynch, The Conversation, 1 July 2026

Artists have canceled shows at the Smithsonian and elsewhere, and some exhibits are sidestepping the president’s war on DEI. — Isabel Ruehl, The Atlantic, 25 June 2026

Critics say the administration is sidestepping a law that has shaped Washington’s skyline for more than a century. — Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 19 June 2026

The results indicate that officers were often sidestepping explicitly asking for search consent, in favor of veiled and passive language that was difficult for people to understand in real time. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 17 June 2026

Trump initially named him as acting DNI when Tulsi Gabbard resigned, but reversed course in naming Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to the role and sidestepping the Senate. — Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 10 June 2026

Not only will O'Neil's sidestepping of questions fuel the fire, but the circuit's next event on the calendar is not scheduled until July 23-26 in the United Kingdom, leaving ample time for reports and rumors to drum up even more uncertainty. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026