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
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
The celebration of global digital access conveniently sidesteps the question of Americans who may be left behind in this streaming future.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 19 Dec. 2025
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
Built around those calls — punctuated by Hassona’s own images — the film sidesteps the usual remove of war docs for something rawer and more intimate, the kind of testimony that has sparked emotional audience responses since Cannes and subsequent European outings.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025
His company, Echo, sidesteps the problem, using not a chip with probes, but a thin film that sits on the brain without penetrating it.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
The laser drill sidesteps both problems by keeping all instruments at the surface.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 30 Oct. 2025
But when explicitly asked about the verse and his thoughts on Jones’ comments, Nas completely sidesteps the latter.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
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
The celebration of global digital access conveniently sidesteps the question of Americans who may be left behind in this streaming future.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 19 Dec. 2025
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
Built around those calls — punctuated by Hassona’s own images — the film sidesteps the usual remove of war docs for something rawer and more intimate, the kind of testimony that has sparked emotional audience responses since Cannes and subsequent European outings.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025
His company, Echo, sidesteps the problem, using not a chip with probes, but a thin film that sits on the brain without penetrating it.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
The laser drill sidesteps both problems by keeping all instruments at the surface.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 30 Oct. 2025
But when explicitly asked about the verse and his thoughts on Jones’ comments, Nas completely sidesteps the latter.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidesteps
Verb
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Today’s staged raid reinforces our conviction that this investigation distorts French law, circumvents due process, and endangers free speech.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2026
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In Fraenkel’s account, an authoritarian system can preserve a normative state—courts, procedures, legality—while simultaneously constructing a prerogative state that overrides or circumvents those constraints in the name of necessity, emergency, or national survival.—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Vimini is likely just a hint of what’s to come, as Bulgari weaves designs from its past with the fresh talent and the state-of-the-art resources shaping its future.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
7 Feb. 2026
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This relationship brings another level to the film, as Kotevska weaves in the titular folktale of Silyan, about another lonely man and his stork.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Bian Ximing, who avoids the limelight and spends much of his time in Gibraltar, has made nearly $3 billion from bullish bets on Shanghai Futures Exchange gold contracts since early 2022.—
Alfred Cang,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
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Legal closure, unresolved debates With the misdemeanor plea now entered, Kamau avoids a felony conviction and the uncertainty of a jury trial.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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White, however, dodges, aiming toward clever.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
29 Jan. 2026
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If someone dodges your requests, try asking a clarifying question to avoid hidden assumptions.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Experts who spoke to Flow Space are hopeful that these new approvals will provide the necessary tools to treat a disease that evades treatment by constantly mutating.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
16 Dec. 2025
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In the film, Sea-Based X-Band Radar detects a missile flying across the Pacific Ocean toward Chicago that later evades interception.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
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Dignitaries would climb up Bab al Silsilah, a narrow limestone street that ducks under an arched gate.—
Ryan Byrnes,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In this near-field regime, the light bypasses the diffraction limit and probes nanoscale features.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
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Garcia’s finest new dishes underscore his talent for complexity that bypasses showiness.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Importantly, the survey also points to a potential de-escalator that Carlson ignores.—
Robert Pape,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
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If someone ignores your text, try asking a follow-up question (or calling them, because tone may travel poorly over screens).—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sidesteps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidesteps. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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