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
Despite the glossy subject matter, Winocour neatly sidesteps clichés, instead searching for quiet moments that give the story emotional resonance.
—
Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 5 Sep. 2025
Tatum sidesteps a question about whether joining Marvel now — at a moment when many industry observers think the brand is past its peak — made sense.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
This is mission creep in action—by breaking the police state’s hostile takeover of the country and our Constitution into a series off incremental moves, the administration sidesteps the broad public backlash that a single, sweeping declaration of martial law would provoke.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2025
That moment of unexpected resonance, when a brand sidesteps the obvious and instead reflects back something slightly uncomfortable, slightly true—that’s what lingers.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
However, critics argue that the project sidesteps the real crisis facing New York City.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Perhaps not, but King of the Hill sidesteps this line of inquiry by presenting the Aramco base, as seen in flashback later in the episode, as what Hank imagines life to be like in the ’50s.
—Genevieve Koski, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025
Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 5 Sep. 2025
Tatum sidesteps a question about whether joining Marvel now — at a moment when many industry observers think the brand is past its peak — made sense.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
This is mission creep in action—by breaking the police state’s hostile takeover of the country and our Constitution into a series off incremental moves, the administration sidesteps the broad public backlash that a single, sweeping declaration of martial law would provoke.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2025
That moment of unexpected resonance, when a brand sidesteps the obvious and instead reflects back something slightly uncomfortable, slightly true—that’s what lingers.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
However, critics argue that the project sidesteps the real crisis facing New York City.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Perhaps not, but King of the Hill sidesteps this line of inquiry by presenting the Aramco base, as seen in flashback later in the episode, as what Hank imagines life to be like in the ’50s.
—Genevieve Koski, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidesteps
Verb
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But the Free Speech Coalition said companies might still be liable if a user in a state requiring age verification circumvents geographic targeting with a VPN.—
Jasmine Mithani,
Them.,
3 Sep. 2025
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Unfortunately, this entire process circumvents the necessary regulatory and congressional oversight processes.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Jacir weaves in more salient archival imagery.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
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Our team keeps an eye out for summer-weight fabrics like gauzy cotton, airy linens, and waffle weaves that are designed to feel breathable.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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RoboBallet avoids this trap by learning general coordination rules rather than memorising specific cases.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
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The first season of The Office was particularly unpleasant at times, with some of Michael’s most appalling behavior, and The Paper avoids this almost entirely.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ahmed stars as Ash, an anonymous broker who dodges that Orwellian surveillance to help sketchy companies and whistleblowers come to an agreement.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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The iRobot Roomba Essential quietly cleans the floors, dodges furniture like it’s lived here forever, and empties itself when it’s done.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Renewed sanctions may not deal much of an economic blow to Iran, especially if China evades them, but can be a potent political tool to stir fears of vulnerability and future military action, a Washington Institute expert argued.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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There has been a lot of research into understanding how cancer evades the body’s immune system, and the ways that science might be able to get around that.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The ten nations most affected by climate change over two decades received under 2% of total flows, evidence that the money systematically bypasses those on the frontlines.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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That offering bypasses insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, allowing patients to directly purchase Zepbound and some of Eli Lilly’s other drugs from the company.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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An energy policy that ignores this will get traction depending on which party is in office but not beyond that.—
Robert G. Eccles,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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This perspective ignores the need for people to come to decisions together about truth and reality.—
Sara Giordano,
The Conversation,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sidesteps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidesteps. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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