as in bypassing
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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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Recent Examples of sidestepping
Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2026
Chang Che, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
For-profit North Carolina companies have been sidestepping property tax payments through a loophole that continues to grow in popularity, chipping away at the tax base for local governments like Mecklenburg County.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2026
Such an outcome would restore funding to border and immigration enforcement priorities while sidestepping all of the structural reforms Democratic lawmakers spent months advocating after sweeping immigration enforcement action in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
General manager Ohemaa Nyanin didn’t offer much to bridge that gap, sidestepping the why behind the move in the moments after the draft and leaving the room to sit in the tension of it all.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
And though lawmakers did sign off on giving ICE that $75 billion, Bagenstos says sidestepping the regular funding process is one more way Congress has surrendered power.
—Sam Gringlas, NPR, 13 Apr. 2026
Shotwell aims to keep clear of geo-political debate—seeing to it that SpaceX obeys the laws and regulations of countries in which Starlink is licensed to operate, and sidestepping blame in places it’s forbidden but is being used anyway.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 28 Mar. 2026
Dylan, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 2016 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, has spent much of his later career sidestepping the expectations that come with legacy status.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
The signatories also questioned the classification of the bill as an organic law, warning it could be used to give the legislation higher legal standing while sidestepping other environmental and human rights protections.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
Noun
One was the very clear sidestepping of Palestinian sovereignty, and the second was the issue of Iran.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
The global micro-drama surge is also the story of a predominantly female audience, hungry for romance and fantasy, sidestepping legacy gatekeepers.
—Chang Che, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
For-profit North Carolina companies have been sidestepping property tax payments through a loophole that continues to grow in popularity, chipping away at the tax base for local governments like Mecklenburg County.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2026
Such an outcome would restore funding to border and immigration enforcement priorities while sidestepping all of the structural reforms Democratic lawmakers spent months advocating after sweeping immigration enforcement action in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
General manager Ohemaa Nyanin didn’t offer much to bridge that gap, sidestepping the why behind the move in the moments after the draft and leaving the room to sit in the tension of it all.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
And though lawmakers did sign off on giving ICE that $75 billion, Bagenstos says sidestepping the regular funding process is one more way Congress has surrendered power.
—Sam Gringlas, NPR, 13 Apr. 2026
Shotwell aims to keep clear of geo-political debate—seeing to it that SpaceX obeys the laws and regulations of countries in which Starlink is licensed to operate, and sidestepping blame in places it’s forbidden but is being used anyway.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 28 Mar. 2026
Dylan, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 2016 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, has spent much of his later career sidestepping the expectations that come with legacy status.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
The signatories also questioned the classification of the bill as an organic law, warning it could be used to give the legislation higher legal standing while sidestepping other environmental and human rights protections.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidestepping
Noun
-
Assistive listening studies report that bypassing room acoustics and delivering audio directly can improve signal‑to‑noise ratios by 15–20 dB, making announcements comprehensible and lectures clearer [8].—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The facility, intended as the largest addition to the White House since the Oval Office, has sparked debate among historians, preservationists, commentators, and the public due to its demolition of the historic East Wing and the bypassing of standard preservation reviews.—
Associate News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The arrangement could be considered circumventing the NBA salary cap, a serious violation of league rules.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Critics contend prediction markets are circumventing states’ sports betting laws and operating in places that have banned the practice.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Seattle takes coffee seriously, so ducking into Café Vita, one of the city’s indie coffee shops, is practically required.—
Lauren Schuster,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Apr. 2026
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But a recent global survey conducted by SAP subsidiary WalkMe found that workers are quietly ducking AI use.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That’s evidenced by the GOP’s skirting of the issue.—
CNN.com,
Mercury News,
3 Oct. 2025
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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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Holland's not quite sure why so many in his generation are avoiding alcohol.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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Nia has no interest at all in talking to them or even a strategy for avoiding them.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Leith emphasizes that Dwell Secure’s functionality extends beyond emergency scenarios, weaving into everyday property management.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Never tested in orbit, NASA’s robot could, in theory, perform tasks like weaving solar power stations and antennae in space from spools of carbon fiber.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Amid a strange Clippers season and an ongoing investigation into cap-circumvention allegations, the 34-year-old Leonard has put together arguably his finest season as a Clippers player.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2026
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Clippers investigation Silver said he has been told that the Los Angeles Clippers have been cooperative with the external investigation into their possible circumvention of the salary cap through a suspicious endorsement deal for Kawhi Leonard with a now-bankrupt company.—
Greg Beacham,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jones faces charges for property theft, money laundering and evading arrest, the release stated.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Apr. 2026
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Poole was arrested by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Unit on May 31, 2024, after spending months evading law enforcement.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sidestepping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidestepping. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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