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
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
The Democrat who venerates more government but sidesteps California’s failing public schools and crushing cost of living.
—John H Bolthouse, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
This new development, however, completely sidesteps that problem by abandoning conventional mechanics and using laser light for gear motion.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
Second, structure it in familiar legal language so that supervisors recognize it as a security or other traditional instrument, and only then represent it in tokens; this approach sidesteps unproductive security-versus-utility debates while ensuring that investor protections remain intact.
—Juan Arroyo, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
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
However, critics argue that the project sidesteps the real crisis facing New York City.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
The Democrat who venerates more government but sidesteps California’s failing public schools and crushing cost of living.
—John H Bolthouse, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
This new development, however, completely sidesteps that problem by abandoning conventional mechanics and using laser light for gear motion.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
Second, structure it in familiar legal language so that supervisors recognize it as a security or other traditional instrument, and only then represent it in tokens; this approach sidesteps unproductive security-versus-utility debates while ensuring that investor protections remain intact.
—Juan Arroyo, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
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
However, critics argue that the project sidesteps the real crisis facing New York City.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidesteps
Verb
-
This gambit circumvents the notorious way that measurements destroy quantumness.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
1 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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The film’s seamless structure weaves together elements of folklore, intimate observation and environmental urgency.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
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Enjoy tennis, pickleball, and padel courts and perfect your swing on the 18 holes of the Greg Norman–designed El Camaleón Golf Course, which weaves through jungle, canals, and coastline.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And in recent years, Major League Baseball has been pushing the World Series later into the year as playoffs expand and the league avoids Sunday games so as not to overlap with the NFL.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
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The agent logs only essential identifiers, avoids storing raw sensor data, caps how much and how often information is recorded, and disables third-party analytics by default.—
Keivan Navaie,
IEEE Spectrum,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Stacey, in true Rusch fashion, dodges the question.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
20 Oct. 2025
-
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
Verb
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Like the Chinese government and most of its people, the movie evades mentions of the mass casualties after the pandemic restrictions were removed, therefore foregoing an opportunity to reflect on whether the deaths were preventable and what lessons might be learned.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
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For now, love evades understanding—which means that finding someone will remain, much of the time, a pain in the ass.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
27 Sep. 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
-
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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Trump’s approach, however, bypasses local consent, prompting lawsuits from Illinois and Oregon officials who argue the move is unconstitutional and escalates tensions unnecessarily.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
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This bypasses the current path of diagnosis, where symptoms are evaluated and a host of blood tests are performed to rule out other conditions such as thyroid problems or anemia.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If a film ignores the author and the core fans, there’s no chance.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Oct. 2025
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Yet that argument ignores the fact that labor markets are a function of both supply and demand, both of which are positively affected by people.—
Ben Zweig,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sidesteps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidesteps. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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