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
In rejecting the case, the high court again sidesteps a simmering battle that pits the right of parents to direct their child's care against policies enacted in recent years that aim to protect students' privacy and prevent public schools from outing transgender students to their families.
—
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Behr’s French Beige Beige homes often get a ho-hum reputation, but cloaked in Behr’s French Beige, your exterior sidesteps those stereotypes entirely, our experts say.
—Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 26 Apr. 2026
The current version of the film sidesteps the allegations by ending its story in 1988, five years before the Chandler claims came out and 15 years before Jackson was arrested in 2003 on charges of molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Ali Grace, founder and CEO of her namesake denim label, for example, said her business has been largely insulated, thanks in part to a model that sidesteps many of the pressures facing traditional supply chains.
—Andre Claudio, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2026
The letter marks a shift in how law enforcement approaches the market of industrial hemp, which sidesteps Missouri’s regulated market with products that are intoxicating but outside of the federal government’s definition of marijuana.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
Republicans have also discussed using reconciliation, which sidesteps the 60 votes needed under the filibuster, to fund the war in Iran.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 24 Mar. 2026
Fox’s omission was a window into how the pro-Trump network selectively amplifies or sidesteps his rhetoric depending on the moment.
—Andrew Kirell, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
When the inevitable final showdown comes to pass, where Liborio must defeat a more prepared opponent inside the ring, the story sidesteps the image of a girlfriend near the ropes acting as the ultimate motivation for the fighter to get up and win even if the cards were stacked against him.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Behr’s French Beige Beige homes often get a ho-hum reputation, but cloaked in Behr’s French Beige, your exterior sidesteps those stereotypes entirely, our experts say.
—Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 26 Apr. 2026
The current version of the film sidesteps the allegations by ending its story in 1988, five years before the Chandler claims came out and 15 years before Jackson was arrested in 2003 on charges of molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Ali Grace, founder and CEO of her namesake denim label, for example, said her business has been largely insulated, thanks in part to a model that sidesteps many of the pressures facing traditional supply chains.
—Andre Claudio, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2026
The letter marks a shift in how law enforcement approaches the market of industrial hemp, which sidesteps Missouri’s regulated market with products that are intoxicating but outside of the federal government’s definition of marijuana.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
Republicans have also discussed using reconciliation, which sidesteps the 60 votes needed under the filibuster, to fund the war in Iran.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 24 Mar. 2026
Fox’s omission was a window into how the pro-Trump network selectively amplifies or sidesteps his rhetoric depending on the moment.
—Andrew Kirell, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
When the inevitable final showdown comes to pass, where Liborio must defeat a more prepared opponent inside the ring, the story sidesteps the image of a girlfriend near the ropes acting as the ultimate motivation for the fighter to get up and win even if the cards were stacked against him.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidesteps
Verb
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This funneling of men outside of the traditional health system circumvents the important step of appropriate medical workups.—
Denise Asafu-Adjei,
STAT,
13 Apr. 2026
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Saudi Arabia’s crucial East-West pipeline that circumvents the Strait of Hormuz is pumping oil at its full capacity of 7 million barrels a day, according to a person familiar with the matter.—
Emma Ross-Thomas,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lockwood takes different noises—from volcanic activity in Hawaii to spring peepers near the Mississippi River, crows around Essex, and hydroacoustic signals in the Tasman Sea—and weaves a tapestry in constant flux.—
Joshua Minsoo Kim,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Dolan dissects his estrangement from his mother after forty years of attempts at peace, and weaves in research and reportage about child abuse and trauma.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
MorphoColor almost entirely avoids reducing the efficiency of solar panels by using a highly selective design that lets most sunlight pass through.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
24 Apr. 2026
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Under California’s special election rules, a candidate who wins more than 50% of the vote avoids a runoff, allowing the seat to be filled far more quickly.—
Kyle Martin,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If someone dodges details, slow down and repeat the key request.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Continue reading … VETTING FAILURE — Far-left firebrand dodges questions over hiring bodyguard with criminal history.—
,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Mr Cobra evades most classification from there, blending free jazz, musique concrète, ’00s pop, house, industrial techno, and air horns, interlaced with dialogue snipped from Korean folk operas and experimental films.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
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But even if Booker’s appearance evades the FCC’s scrutiny, the commission is closely watching TV talk programs, with The View in particular a subject of interest.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the video, the subject ducks his head in the opposite direction of the doorbell camera.—
Michael Ruiz , Adam Sabes , Christina Dugan Ramirez , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Julia Bonavita , Peter D'Abrosca , Alexandra Koch , Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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Levine Cava said the Kelly Tractor project destroys too many wetlands and bypasses county rules on approving development proposed outside Miami-Dade’s Urban Development Boundary.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
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Bagenstos, now a law and public policy professor at the University of Michigan, sees a different threat as the White House bypasses Congress on funding in all sorts of ways.—
Sam Gringlas,
NPR,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The notion that Related is a rapacious developer being handed a giveaway ignores the history.—
Peter Peyser,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
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The authors take aim at TRIPS and TRIPS-Plus agreements by stressing the dangers of a colonialism of information that ignores individual countries’ political and economic circumstances.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sidesteps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidesteps. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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