1
as in to circumvent
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 sidestep
Adams partly repaid the bribes by forcing FDNY officials to sidestep safety precautions to prematurely open a Midtown skyscraper housing Turkey’s consulate in time for a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to the case.
—
Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2025
Avi Melamed, a Middle East analyst, told Newsweek that the plan—which proposes an interim, Palestinian-run administrative authority in Gaza; includes the training of Palestinian security forces; and calls for the involvement of international peacekeeping—sidesteps the issue of Hamas' disarmament.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025
But the Russian air force could sidestep the jamming by reprogramming their radars to operate at slightly different frequencies.
—David Axe, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
When code doesn't work as expected, debugging requires understanding what the code is actually doing—precisely the knowledge that vibe coding tends to sidestep.
—Ars Technica, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sidestep
Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2025
Avi Melamed, a Middle East analyst, told Newsweek that the plan—which proposes an interim, Palestinian-run administrative authority in Gaza; includes the training of Palestinian security forces; and calls for the involvement of international peacekeeping—sidesteps the issue of Hamas' disarmament.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025
But the Russian air force could sidestep the jamming by reprogramming their radars to operate at slightly different frequencies.
—David Axe, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
When code doesn't work as expected, debugging requires understanding what the code is actually doing—precisely the knowledge that vibe coding tends to sidestep.
—Ars Technica, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sidestep
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidestep
Verb
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The comedians who most adeptly circumvent this problem seem to be the ones who collaborate actively with their partners.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2025
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Last week, the Daily News reported Daughtry, who lives on Long Island, was granted a waiver to circumvent the New York City residency requirement that comes with a deputy mayor post.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Drone warfare has been revolutionized by the war in Ukraine, and all global militaries are looking for new ways to weave drones into their armed forces for a variety of roles, including reconnaissance and carrying out strikes.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Mar. 2025
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The real power of these agents emerges from their ability to weave functionalities together seamlessly.—
Egor Pushkin,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Soundproofing your apartment and crate-training your pup will help your dog bark less and avoid complaints from angry neighbors.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
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The quick turnaround with results can also help avoid patients being administered incorrect antibiotics.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Students with special needs on a New York City school bus were forced to duck for cover as the vehicle was struck by gunfire.—
Latoya Gayle,
People.com,
23 Mar. 2025
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That rain saw both Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri slide off the circuit, but Norris was able to regain control of his car and immediately duck into the pits to swap his slicks for intermediates.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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DeAngelo evaded prosecution for years while committing a string of murders and rapes across the Golden State between 1974 and 1986, including two murders and nine kidnappings in Sacramento County alone.—
Lia Russell,
Sacramento Bee,
22 Mar. 2025
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However, Boasberg says the department evaded its obligations.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Then, on Wednesday, a day before Maryland took the court for its first Sweet 16 game in a decade, Willard dodged questions about his future with the Terps, a stark contrast to his comments a week earlier.—
Taylor Lyons,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Mar. 2025
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In the case of imaginary casks, issuing a ‘certificate of ownership’ dodges the key rule that underpins the sale and management of a Scotch whisky cask: that the purchaser should be able to have direct contact with the warehouse that is storing it.—
Felipe Schrieberg,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The major criticism was that the policy fails to go far enough or establish clear barriers to protect women's athletes in the college ranks and that the policy allegedly allows trans athletes to bypass the restriction by changing the gender on their birth certificate.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, the deal allowed Ukraine to export grain by sea, with ships bypassing a Russian blockade of the country’s Black Sea ports and navigating safe passage through the waterway to Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait in order to reach global markets.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN,
25 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sidestep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidestep. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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