1
as in circumvents
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 sidesteps
When the inevitable final showdown comes to pass, where Liborio must defeat a more prepared opponent inside the ring, the story sidesteps the image of a girlfriend near the ropes acting as the ultimate motivation for the fighter to get up and win even if the cards were stacked against him.
—
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
His clever autofictional dodge sidesteps the expectation that trans people must explain their life to outsiders.
—Isle McElroy, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
The arrangement sidesteps efforts to tie State Farm’s rates to its handling of disaster claims.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Maynard effectively sidesteps the occasion for the profile — Judy’s new, bestselling, sexy adult novel — to offer an evaluation of her outsize role in youth culture.
—Mark Oppenheimer, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2026
Capturing and feeding this CO₂ to microbes sidesteps the significant energy penalty of diluting it with air while also removing pollutants.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
At the time, the company was trying to break into the lottery ticket courier business, which sidesteps state laws prohibiting online gaming by taking lottery orders via a phone app, and then dispatching a courier to purchase tickets in-person at licensed retailers.
—Eric Dexheimer, Houston Chronicle, 30 Jan. 2026
The process sidesteps the need for most users to provide identifiable information like a driver’s license, one of the main criticisms of age verification technologies due to privacy and security risks.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 21 Jan. 2026
This eliminates extra weight and power consumption, helps keep costs down, and sidesteps the privacy concerns that proved to be one of the main sticking points for Google Glass.
—IEEE Spectrum, 13 Nov. 2025
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
His clever autofictional dodge sidesteps the expectation that trans people must explain their life to outsiders.
—Isle McElroy, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
The arrangement sidesteps efforts to tie State Farm’s rates to its handling of disaster claims.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Maynard effectively sidesteps the occasion for the profile — Judy’s new, bestselling, sexy adult novel — to offer an evaluation of her outsize role in youth culture.
—Mark Oppenheimer, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2026
Capturing and feeding this CO₂ to microbes sidesteps the significant energy penalty of diluting it with air while also removing pollutants.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
At the time, the company was trying to break into the lottery ticket courier business, which sidesteps state laws prohibiting online gaming by taking lottery orders via a phone app, and then dispatching a courier to purchase tickets in-person at licensed retailers.
—Eric Dexheimer, Houston Chronicle, 30 Jan. 2026
The process sidesteps the need for most users to provide identifiable information like a driver’s license, one of the main criticisms of age verification technologies due to privacy and security risks.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 21 Jan. 2026
This eliminates extra weight and power consumption, helps keep costs down, and sidesteps the privacy concerns that proved to be one of the main sticking points for Google Glass.
—IEEE Spectrum, 13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidesteps
Verb
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The suit said the scheme circumvents FDA regulations that generally prohibit importation of unapproved medications from overseas.—
Melissa Lee,Paige Tortorelli,Scott Zamost,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2026
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Many of the mistakes or inconsistencies that happen in garment manufacturing stem from human error, which CreateMe circumvents.—
Sarah Jones,
Sourcing Journal,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The film weaves together adolescent friendship with the social impact of solar energy development in rural communities.—
Lin Ying-Hsuan,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2026
-
With ample amounts of gore that somehow feels earned, Taccone weaves a fun, tense comedy thriller, with help from Segel and Weaving’s unhinged onscreen chemistry and a talented ensemble cast.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The design here avoids ski-lodge clichés but maintains splendid common areas, including a cozy library and a grand lobby decorated with stone and wood finishes and splashes of rich red and orange hues.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Mar. 2026
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Furthermore, the robot avoids the inevitable performance decay seen in technologies such as solar panels or nuclear generators, ensuring a longer operational lifespan in the field.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Trump, when pressed, dodges the issue of war aims by pointing to the excellence of the military.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
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In a cult classic 1976 film, The Bill Koch Experience, the star slaloms at perilous speed through low brush, dodges cows in a pasture, and also leaps off a boulder, only to tumble.—
Bill Donahue,
Outside,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But how does one set out to write a biography about the creation of an author who not only can’t be reached, but actively evades the spotlight?—
Costa Beavin Pappas,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The result is contrasting, suited for a composition that evades singular meaning.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the video, the subject ducks his head in the opposite direction of the doorbell camera.—
Michael Ruiz , Adam Sabes , Christina Dugan Ramirez , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Julia Bonavita , Peter D'Abrosca , Alexandra Koch , Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
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The sun ducks down and sets Conejo Mountain against warm pinks and purples, transforming the ridgeline into an epic silhouette.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Saudi Aramco manages a pipeline network that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz to deliver oil to the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
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Among the Gulf Arab states targeted by Iran, Saudi Arabia is the only one with a coastline on the Red Sea, giving it an export route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Discord, confident as ever, ignores this warning.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2026
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Repeatedly promoting the scientific but impractical viewpoint of neurologists and sleep experts completely ignores how humans live in the real world.—
Letters to the Editor,
Washington Post,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sidesteps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidesteps. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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