1
as in circumventing
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bypassing
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Recent Examples of sidestepping
Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
The wood-burning stove kills two birds with one stone (well, technically about two dozen stones, give or take), providing an authentic, traditional sauna experience while also sidestepping the need for electricity from an outlet or portable generator.
—Dean Stattmann, Outside, 19 Oct. 2025
The key is preparing before problems strikes, or sidestepping the problem by finding alternate transportation when possible.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
Washington has pressured Mexico to crack down on Chinese imports over allegations that goods are being rerouted to the US, thus sidestepping American levies placed on Beijing.
—semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
By sidestepping the fragile transfer process and enabling direct fabrication on liquid, Xu’s method could transform how scientists design lightweight, adaptable technologies across multiple fields.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Coliseum officials did weigh the possibility of sidestepping the permitting issue altogether — or at least letting the purchasers worry about it.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
Environmental groups and the Miccosukee tribe had sued the state and federal government for sidestepping federal environmental regulations when erecting the site in an airstrip in Big Cypress National Preserve.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
The two countries have also increasingly settled transactions in rubles and yuan with Putin announcing that 90% of the two countries transactions are being settled in those currencies as of December 2024, sidestepping Western financial systems.
—Earl Carr, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
The dramatization of one of the darkest chapters in American crime history has drawn plaudits for sidestepping easy sensationalism about the Chicago contractor and amateur clown who murdered 33 boys in the 1970s, burying them in a crawl space beneath his house.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
The wood-burning stove kills two birds with one stone (well, technically about two dozen stones, give or take), providing an authentic, traditional sauna experience while also sidestepping the need for electricity from an outlet or portable generator.
—Dean Stattmann, Outside, 19 Oct. 2025
The key is preparing before problems strikes, or sidestepping the problem by finding alternate transportation when possible.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
Washington has pressured Mexico to crack down on Chinese imports over allegations that goods are being rerouted to the US, thus sidestepping American levies placed on Beijing.
—semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
By sidestepping the fragile transfer process and enabling direct fabrication on liquid, Xu’s method could transform how scientists design lightweight, adaptable technologies across multiple fields.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Coliseum officials did weigh the possibility of sidestepping the permitting issue altogether — or at least letting the purchasers worry about it.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
Environmental groups and the Miccosukee tribe had sued the state and federal government for sidestepping federal environmental regulations when erecting the site in an airstrip in Big Cypress National Preserve.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
The two countries have also increasingly settled transactions in rubles and yuan with Putin announcing that 90% of the two countries transactions are being settled in those currencies as of December 2024, sidestepping Western financial systems.
—Earl Carr, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidestepping
Verb
-
Yet the group is clearly circumventing the restrictions.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Panahi, along with other up-and-coming filmmakers, began circumventing the official channels, sending one version of his films’ scripts to government censors and filming another.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For a moment, Smith became overwhelmed, ducking to the side of the pillar while wiping tears away.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
-
While on The Tonight Show, Swift appeared shy when discussing the song’s lyrics, ducking her head down as the house band the Roots began playing a sensual tune.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Some strains are now capable of identifying and bypassing backups, targeting critical systems first and spreading laterally across devices and networks.—
Ro'ee Margalit,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Currently, pediatricians recommend avoiding caffeine consumption for children under 12 years old.—
Brittany Lubeck,
Verywell Health,
22 Oct. 2025
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However, the chances of this happening were unlikely, given the CRB's priority of avoiding a rebound of inflation rather than stagnation.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The builders said the pipeline will follow its pipeline predecessors, weaving across Arizona, New Mexico and California where others already exist, using some existing infrastructure.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The pattern is described as a decorative textile craft that utilizes knotting instead of weaving or knitting to craft apparel or decorative items.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That’s evidenced by the GOP’s skirting of the issue.—
CNN.com,
Mercury News,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The Dominator 3, at its base a Ford F-350, features an armored shell and skirting designed to keep winds from lifting the vehicle; strong windows, equipment for tracking weather data and a hydraulic spike system used to anchor the vehicle to the ground.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To prevent the group from evading the tax, it would be levied on billionaires who lived in California in 2025 and the beginning of 2026.—
Kate Wolffe
October 24,
Sacbee.com,
24 Oct. 2025
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Ultimately, being aware of the risk that high cholesterol can pose during and after pregnancy, embracing heart-healthy habits throughout, and following up postpartum can make the difference between experiencing a heart event and evading one.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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His opponents have attacked him for appearing on Piker's show, or dodging a foreign policy question on FOX News about Hamas’ future.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
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After Texas produced little in the run game at Florida, Wisner proved elusive, dodging and breaking tackles to produce chunk plays and keep Texas moving down the field.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sidestepping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidestepping. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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