1
as in bypassing
to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness
employees who try to circumvent the company's dress code
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in avoiding
to avoid by going around
circumvented the traffic jam by taking an alternate route
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in circling
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 circumventing
Johnston’s administration, which says the cameras have been a game changer for fighting crime, agreed to a no-cost extension of Flock’s contract in October, circumventing a vote from the council.
—
Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
Yet the group is clearly circumventing the restrictions.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Panahi, along with other up-and-coming filmmakers, began circumventing the official channels, sending one version of his films’ scripts to government censors and filming another.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
With potential regulatory fights to come, this is a potential boon and is a way of circumventing content quotas and other obligations that European countries want to establish.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2025
The federal government argued that the lower courts were circumventing the power of the justices and improperly limiting the authority of the Department of Homeland Security.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2025
Tom Worthington, from the Australian National University’s School of Computing, said circumventing a shutdown that appeared to have been ordered by the country’s Taliban leader would be risky for ordinary Afghans.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
On the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, journalist Pablo Torre reported that Leonard wasn’t obligated to perform services to Aspiration, that the deal would end if the Clippers traded Leonard and that the payments were understood as circumventing the cap.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Sep. 2025
And in cases where credentials are compromised, attackers can operate from within, circumventing network protections entirely.
—Camellia Chan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumventing
Verb
-
Similar to fellow Arsenal summer signing Eberechi Eze — another keen chess player — the assumption would be that the skills taken from the board game have helped Zubimendi be a step ahead in enticing and then bypassing opposition players.—
-
Another attraction is bypassing the maze of US regulations regarding nuclear power plants.—
Verb
-
Managing heartburn is more effective by eating smaller portions and avoiding late night meals.—
-
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has done a great job of avoiding interceptions throughout this season.—
Verb
-
So instead, to keep costs down and power up, the Starcloud satellite flies what is known as a dawn-dusk sun-synchronous orbit, circling the planet at a near vertical 83° angle that carries it over the poles and keeps it almost constantly exposed to the sun.—
-
Deadline had revealed that both were circling over the past few weeks and Amazon has now said that Isaacs will play Atlas DeMornay, one of the canon roles, and Weaver will be Evelyn Wallis, a mysterious, high-flying woman who is keen to exploit Lara’s talents.—
Verb
-
Prokop faces four misdemeanor charges, including one count of a violation of bond — protective order, one count of evading arrest or detention and two counts of resisting arrest, search or transportation.—
-
Authorities told Fox News Digital Prokop faces four misdemeanor charges — one count of violation of bond or protective order, one count of evading arrest or detention and two counts of resisting arrest, search or transportation.—
Verb
-
Mariners traversing the bar are urged to exercise extreme caution or stay in port until the threat subsides.—
-
Walkers and bikers traversing down the path and a new bridge will see two new pavilions as well as the Athletic Club Boise Stadium, where a new professional soccer team whose name and colors were revealed in 2025 will play.—
Verb
-
Alyssa Farah Griffin attempted to cut in, with Navarro ignoring her in the moment.—
-
James said the administration has not provided evidence of fraud or misuse of child care funding in New York, while ignoring the standard processes for withholding such funds.—
Verb
-
The astronauts, known as Crew-11, arrived at the International Space Station in early August and had been expected to stay aboard the orbiting laboratory until late February.—
-
The two planets, roughly four times the size of Earth, were discovered to be orbiting around a millisecond pulsar star named PSR B1257+12, which is 2,300 light-years away.—
Verb
-
Her grandfather, George Craig, had made his way there after escaping enslavement with the aid of John Brown, and was working as a barber in the town of Grinnell.—
-
Regardless of our paths — whether that meant escaping war in Ethiopia or being the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors — many of us labor under the belief that this work requires us to commit to the ideals of this nation and not the indignation and nightmare of the insurrection.—
Cite this Entry
“Circumventing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumventing. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share