SIDESTEPPING Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

sidestepping 1 of 2

noun

as in bypassing

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Dissimilar Words

sidestepping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of sidestep

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in ducking

to move suddenly aside or to and fro the startled spectator sidestepped away from the oncoming ball

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Memes risk sidestepping reality Some of the pictures are generated with artificial intelligence, and the administration has previously defended the memes as funny and their critics as humorless. — Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 As Fernandes undertook his trademark run-up, Tielemans mirrored him exactly, sidestepping and stuttering in synchronisation. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Since then, the program has cemented itself as one of the best studio shows on cable despite mostly sidestepping game analysis in favor of alchemized banter. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026 Future administrations might also develop a more nuanced policy, enshrining some civil rights for transgender people but sidestepping the question of playing on sports teams, Soucek said. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026 After a brief standoff with the buzzing, metal alien, the bobcat carefully retreated, sidestepping into an adjacent empty room. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026 For one thing, the exceptions to the prevailing rule of rising markets tend to hurt, and the idea of sidestepping them is, for many, irresistible. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026 America Healthy Again movement that was made up in part by other vaccine skeptics — many of whom were concerned by the administration sidestepping the issue publicly. — Daniel Payne, STAT, 10 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidestepping

Noun

After weeks of testing, Fable 5 is no longer vulnerable to a bypassing method discovered by Amazon researchers that identified several software vulnerabilities and triggered the export curbs.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026
Assistive listening studies report that bypassing room acoustics and delivering audio directly can improve signal‑to‑noise ratios by 15–20 dB, making announcements comprehensible and lectures clearer [8].

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 26 Feb. 2026

Definition of bypassing

Verb

About 25 years ago, then-NBA commissioner David Stern reduced the five-first-round-pick penalty imposed on the Minnesota Timberwolves for circumventing the salary cap in signing Joe Smith.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Sep. 2026
But with this return being locked in and the principal untouched in a way that stocks and bonds can't offer, an account could be valuable for those savers who want to earn a predictable return while circumventing market instability.

— Matt Richardson, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of circumventing

Noun

That translated into custom upholstery; fabrics sourced from textile sellers Merchant & Mills and Notting Hill’s Cloth Shop; DeVol sconces; and cheery ruffled skirting in the kitchen.

— Dipal Acharya, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026
Yet by skirting and at times ignoring those rules, ride-sharing companies were able to acquire a critical mass of users in a short period of time.

— Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026

Definition of skirting

Verb

Credit cards notoriously have exceptionally high interest rates, so avoiding credit card debt is prudent.

— Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
The developments further strain Saudi Arabia's effort to get its oil to market while avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, the choke point at the mouth of the Persian Gulf where Iranian attacks have stifled shipping.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of avoiding

Verb

Charland said that Richard Hale’s two daughters also were weaving and sewing and sending mittens and socks to the soldiers.

— Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026
With Josh D’Amaro now chief executive, Disney+ has become even more of a key focus, with the new boss speaking frequently about expanding its capabilities and weaving it together with the company’s experiences portfolio.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of weaving

Noun

Silver, speaking Tuesday at the end of a two-day Board of Governors meeting, pointed to how the Minnesota Timberwolves were once docked five picks for cap circumvention as the precedent used in this case.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
Another key contract is the collective bargaining agreement, which prohibits salary-cap circumvention.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of circumvention

Verb

The new legislation targets Russian officials, financial institutions and the network of tankers used to move Russian oil while evading sanctions.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
What really makes this all work is the introduction of Bryan as embodied by the sensational Abrams, who first blew me away evading George Clooney and Brad Pitt in Wolfs and then his scene-stealing work as the unhoused guy in Weapons.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of evading

Browse Nearby Words

sidestepped

sidestepping

sidesteps

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Style

“Sidestepping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidestepping. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of sidestepping

noun

verb

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