SIDESTEP Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

sidestep

verb

ˈsīd-ˌstep

Definition of sidestep

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to weave

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 sidestep Doing so sidesteps the higher yields on longer tenors but increases refinancing risks. — Greg Ritchie, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026 Kazakhstan has played a key role helping Russia sidestep sanctions and channel investments from abroad. — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Aug. 2026 To sidestep urban light pollution, skywatchers can head to Jordan Lake or Falls Lake, both of which offer campsites. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 12 Aug. 2026 America Healthy Again movement that was made up in part by other vaccine skeptics — many of whom were concerned by the administration sidestepping the issue publicly. — Daniel Payne, STAT, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sidestep

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidestep

Verb

Iran has been subject to Western sanctions for years and has become deft at partially circumventing them.

— Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Starting in the 1990s, underground bankers set up shell companies and bank accounts in Hong Kong to circumvent mainland China’s capital controls.

— Alvin Camba, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of circumvent

Verb

This film weaves that footage with new images of his exile, a poetic documentary essay that refuses the urgency of breaking news.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
Colman’s upcoming Wicker film, in which her fisherwoman character asks Peter Dinklage’s basketmaker to weave her a husband, garnered buzz after the trailer — teasing Alexander Skarsgård’s straw transformation — was released at the end of July.

— Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of weave

Verb

The masked person, carrying a distinctive blue plaid backpack, was last seen ducking into SEPTA’s Suburban Station.

— Madison Lambert, NBC news, 18 Aug. 2026
An aftershock that struck during an interview Tuesday prompted Vincentius Rano and his wife to instinctively duck and cover their heads.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of duck

Verb

Mateychuk is an excellent skater, with clear NHL edge work and speed to be able to skate pucks up ice, evade pressure and close on checks.

— Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Hennepin County’s top prosecutor calls the interstate clash over Castro’s transfer a needless test of states’ duty to honor extradition — and of whether federal agents can evade accountability.

— Mark Vancleave, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of evade

Verb

Building on site can dodge that queue, which is much of its appeal and why counting transformers beats counting chips as a way to read this buildout.

— Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 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 dodge

Verb

The third Cabinet office, Attorney General, bypassed the primary.

— CBS News, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Kuwait is holding discussions with Saudi Arabia and other countries about a possible pipeline to bypass the Strait, Kuwaiti Oil Minister Tariq Sulaiman Al-Roumi said earlier this month.

— Max Zahn, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026