circumvented

verb

past tense of circumvent
1
as in bypassed
to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness employees who try to circumvent the company's dress code

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in avoided
to avoid by going around circumvented the traffic jam by taking an alternate route

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in traversed
to travel completely around most casual joggers will be able to circumvent the reservoir without too much of a strain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of circumvented Kawhi Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors is on hold pending the outcome of the NBA’s investigation into whether the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented salary-cap rules, the teams announced Thursday. — Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026 The Toronto Raptors put the brakes on acquiring Kawhi Leonard from the Clippers, announcing Thursday that the trade is on hold until the NBA investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented salary cap rules is complete. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026 The law, intended to restrict youth access, was easily circumvented by tech-savvy young people who found workarounds. — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 The clearance eases a confrontation that erupted two weeks ago when the government abruptly barred Anthropic from giving foreign nationals access to Mythos 5 and a related model, Fable 5, over fears that security guardrails could be circumvented. — Josh Wingrove, Fortune, 27 June 2026 Anthropic had brushed off the White House’s concerns that guardrails on its Fable 5 model could be circumvented, adding to the string of fights the AI lab has gotten into with the White House. — Liz Rappaport, semafor.com, 16 June 2026 Torre’s team, and later The Athletic, dug into the connections between Aspiration and Clippers’ billionaire owner Steve Ballmer, who had invested $60 million in the company, and the NBA announced an investigation to determine whether Ballmer and the Clippers circumvented salary cap rules. — Shakeia Taylor, New York Times, 29 May 2026 The court ruled that lawmakers had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters when adopting the prior map. — ABC News, 4 May 2026 Search and rescue team members circumvented the gate by riding a dirt bike and were able to locate the injured man, officials said. — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumvented
  1. bypassed
  2. avoided
  3. traversed
  4. evaded
  5. circled
  6. ignored
  7. encircled
  8. escaped
Verb
  • With bots already making up over half of internet traffic, businesses failing to update will be bypassed, losing customers who increasingly send software to interact online.
    — Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Jozef, still a seminarian who had entered the congregation and taken the name Damien only three years earlier, bypassed his immediate superiors and petitioned the higher orders in Paris to be allowed to take his place.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Definition of bypassed
Verb
  • The Mariners avoided a third consecutive loss in a four-game series that started as a matchup of the top two teams in the AL West.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 July 2026
  • The initial read was that Gonzalez, who dealt with a strained hamstring earlier this year, avoided a significant injury and shouldn’t miss any time.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of avoided
Verb
  • Bear tracks showed where a pair of grizzlies had traversed our island and swum to the far shore.
    — John Todd, Outdoor Life, 9 July 2026
  • Some traffic traversed the strait on Tuesday, according to data and analytics company Kpler, which verified 41 crossings compared to 36 on Monday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Definition of traversed
Verb
  • An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades heard arguments on how improper practices that evaded regulatory oversight turned a small fire into a tragedy as the case neared its conclusion Friday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026
  • Still, several popular chains have sadly evaded the KC metro.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2026
Definition of evaded
Verb
  • The Chinese ship circled the Philippine vessel continuously, as its water cannon hit the ship.
    — Ivan Watson, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • During the group stage, the team from tiny Curaçao, after a 7-1 loss to Germany, circled in prayer on the pitch.
    — the Monitor’s Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 16 July 2026
Definition of circled
Verb
  • The remarks struck a nerve in a country grappling with persistently high youth unemployment and quickly became a rallying cry for a generation that says it feels ignored by those in power.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • There's another trendline as well — patients who delay coming in until their symptoms are so severe they can't be ignored.
    — Durrie Bouscaren, NPR, 25 July 2026
Definition of ignored
Verb
  • The area along the Cumberland River where more than 100 people once lived is now encircled by fences and no-trespassing signs.
    — Marissa J. Lang, NPR, 21 July 2026
  • The youngest Lestat trips over reciting a passage about being encircled by God’s love.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of encircled
Verb
  • The song picks up a locomotive rhythm, as if the only way to reflect on those scenes is with the momentum of having escaped them.
    — Amanda Wicks, Pitchfork, 25 July 2026
  • Wacha also escaped trouble by stranding two runners in the sixth.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 July 2026
Definition of escaped

Browse Nearby Words

circumvent
circumvented
circumventing
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Cite this Entry

“Circumvented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumvented. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on circumvented

Nglish: Translation of circumvented for Spanish Speakers

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