sidesteps

verb

present tense third-person singular of sidestep
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weaves
to move suddenly aside or to and fro the startled spectator sidestepped away from the oncoming ball

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 sidesteps Doing so sidesteps the higher yields on longer tenors but increases refinancing risks. — Greg Ritchie, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026 By working through employers, Addition Wealth sidesteps the brutal customer acquisition costs that have undermined most direct-to-consumer fintech plays and gains access to the data that makes guidance genuinely personal. — Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Colom mostly sidesteps Mississippi history or electoral math unless asked. — ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026 The Azizuddin Brothers have spent the better part of a decade making work that sidesteps genre convention and mainstream expectation. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026 Most polls have him in second place in his own party behind Memphis councilwoman Jerri Green, but his presence in the race at all is notable for a genre that generally sidesteps politics altogether. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2026 Fauci’s decision to invoke the Fifth, at least for now, sidesteps calls for his prosecution if he is accused of lying at Wednesday’s hearing, part of a yearslong campaign for his arrest spearheaded by some Republicans in Congress. — Lauran Neergaard, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 This completely sidesteps current debates plaguing Medicare Part B — namely, rapidly mounting medication spending has driven higher premiums and out-of-pocket payments for beneficiaries. — Pooja Yerramilli, STAT, 24 July 2026 Building a track car sidesteps all the hardest parts of car manufacturing—like bringing it up to safety, emissions, and other compliance standards for road cars. — Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 16 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidesteps
  1. circumvents
  2. weaves
  3. avoids
  4. dodges
  5. evades
  6. ducks
  7. bypasses
  8. ignores
Verb
  • 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.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Additionally, because the $50 co-payment circumvents Part D, the amount doesn’t count toward a beneficiary’s annual deductible or out-of-pocket maximum.
    — Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of circumvents
Verb
  • The village's pedestrian-only strip weaves through small shops, restaurants, and boutiques, and there's a Naval Museum housed in a 19th-century captain’s mansion that highlights the island’s maritime history—and is worth a visit.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In the park, the designers combined four species of flowers with broken pieces of local pottery to form a polychromatic mosaic that weaves together vegetation and craft.
    — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of weaves
Verb
  • Resolving the case avoids a trial where Merrill intended to defend its rates as standard among bank sweep programs, arguing that sweep accounts are meant for short-term liquidity rather than long-term investment yield.
    — Chase Jordan October 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The shorter route could significantly reduce transportation costs and also avoids geopolitical chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz, Yoo said.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of avoids
Verb
  • Baksheng leaves behind a family and then creates a new one with other Teochew emigrants at an inn run by a feminist daughter, Zia Lamgi (Li Sitong) who dodges a revolving door of suitors.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • West Orange dodges a huge bullet as Hoban’s John Johnson drops a wide open pass that would’ve been an 80 yard touchdown.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of dodges
Verb
  • Neither of those interpretations would be entirely invalid, exactly, and yet The Basics of Philosophy — ironically enough, given its title — mostly evades any such moral didacticism.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Journalists and negotiators follow up when someone evades the point.
    — Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of evades
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of ducks
Verb
  • Because mRNA technology bypasses the slow process of growing viruses in eggs, mRNA manufacturing allows for later influenza strain selection and fast production, unlike traditional vaccines.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Thune said of reconciliation, which bypasses a 60-vote filibuster.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of bypasses
Verb
  • But that ignores the fact that most political rules continue to apply.
    — Nathan Gonzales CQ-Roll Call, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Cyrus ignores the correction and later bristles when Adam decides to extend his military service for another five years.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignores

Browse Nearby Words

sidestepping
sidesteps
side street
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Cite this Entry

“Sidesteps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidesteps. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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