Word of the Day

: December 3, 2018

circumvent

verb ser-kum-VENT

What It Means

1 : to manage to get around especially by ingenuity or stratagem

2 a : to hem in

b : to make a circuit around

circumvent in Context

A couple of clever students were able to circumvent the security protocols on the school's network and gain access to the database storing their grades.

"… [P]artygoers stood patiently on another queue for the elevator. Jim Belushi—one of the 29 actors featured in W's 'Best Performances' issue—circumvented the elevator line and went for the steps." — Jasmin Rosemberg, Variety, 5 Jan. 2018

Did You Know?

If you've ever felt as if someone was circling around the rules, you have an idea of the origins of circumvent—it derives from the Latin circum, meaning "circle," and ventus, the past participle of the Latin verb venire, meaning "to come." The earliest uses of circumvent referred to a tactic of hunting or warfare in which the quarry or enemy was encircled and captured. Today, however, circumvent more often suggests avoidance than entrapment; it typically means to "get around" someone or something, as in our example sentences.