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
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
His clever autofictional dodge sidesteps the expectation that trans people must explain their life to outsiders.
—Isle McElroy, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
The arrangement sidesteps efforts to tie State Farm’s rates to its handling of disaster claims.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Maynard effectively sidesteps the occasion for the profile — Judy’s new, bestselling, sexy adult novel — to offer an evaluation of her outsize role in youth culture.
—Mark Oppenheimer, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2026
Capturing and feeding this CO₂ to microbes sidesteps the significant energy penalty of diluting it with air while also removing pollutants.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
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
His clever autofictional dodge sidesteps the expectation that trans people must explain their life to outsiders.
—Isle McElroy, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
The arrangement sidesteps efforts to tie State Farm’s rates to its handling of disaster claims.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Maynard effectively sidesteps the occasion for the profile — Judy’s new, bestselling, sexy adult novel — to offer an evaluation of her outsize role in youth culture.
—Mark Oppenheimer, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2026
Capturing and feeding this CO₂ to microbes sidesteps the significant energy penalty of diluting it with air while also removing pollutants.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidesteps
Verb
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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
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Privacy advocates argue the practice circumvents the Fourth Amendment and is contrary to a 2015 law that bars federal agencies from collecting bulk data on Americans.—
Jude Joffe-Block,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Matthew Fogel’s screenplay, which mostly pays lavish fan service to its inspiration, also weaves in a few emotional elements.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Stanley also weaves in a look at the 1980s — a time that seems so long ago and yet also, for some, like yesterday.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The process avoids the long turnaround times seen in conventional microbiological analysis.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Apr. 2026
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While the family largely avoids the spotlight, Sam’s daughter, Alice Walton, and two of his son Jim’s children, Tom and Steuart Walton, remain active and public-facing in Arkansas.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Continue reading … VETTING FAILURE — Far-left firebrand dodges questions over hiring bodyguard with criminal history.—
,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
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Trump, when pressed, dodges the issue of war aims by pointing to the excellence of the military.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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But how does one set out to write a biography about the creation of an author who not only can’t be reached, but actively evades the spotlight?—
Costa Beavin Pappas,
Los Angeles Times,
2 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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Mouth breathing bypasses that process entirely.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
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Saudi Aramco manages a pipeline network that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz to deliver oil to the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But that argument ignores the structure of the program.—
Demetrius Atsalis,
Boston Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
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All pitchers agree that the guy holding the bat generates crucial data that a pitcher ignores at his peril.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sidesteps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidesteps. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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