circumvent
Americanverb (used with object)
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circumvents,
present (3rd person singular)
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circumvented,
past participle, past
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circumventing
present participle
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to go around or bypass.
to circumvent the lake;
to circumvent the real issues.
-
to avoid (defeat, failure, unpleasantness, etc.) by artfulness or deception; avoid by anticipating or outwitting.
He circumvented capture by anticipating their movements.
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to surround or encompass, as by stratagem; entrap.
to circumvent a body of enemy troops.
verb
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to evade or go around
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to outwit
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to encircle (an enemy) so as to intercept or capture
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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circumventernoun
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circumventionnoun
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circumventornoun
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circumventiveadjective
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uncircumventedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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circumventsimple
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circumventssimple
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have circumventedperfect
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has circumventedperfect
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am circumventingprogressive
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are circumventingprogressive
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is circumventingprogressive
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have been circumventingperfect progressive
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has been circumventingperfect progressive
Past
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circumventedsimple
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had circumventedperfect
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was circumventingprogressive
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were circumventingprogressive
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had been circumventingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of circumvent
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin circumventus (past participle of circumvenīre “to come around, surround, oppress, defraud”), equivalent to circum- circum- + ven(īre) “to come” + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
To circumvent is to avoid. Someone who trains elephants but somehow gets out of picking up after them has found a way to circumvent the cleaning of the circus tent. Circum in Latin means "around" or "round about," and vent- comes from venire, "to come," but painting a picture from these two parts of the word helps. Picture someone circling around a barrier instead of climbing over it. That's what you do when you circumvent. You find a smart way around rules or barriers, or avoid doing something unpleasant altogether.
Vocabulary lists containing circumvent
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Around and Around: Circum
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Mohammad Hassan Najmi, an international relations expert, told AFP that Tehran "believes its membership and active participation in these alliances can enable it to circumvent US and European sanctions".
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
Previously the firm has said that “We have always acted in good faith, and insinuations that we have in any way attempted to circumvent our obligations is simply false.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Silver has called attempts to circumvent it a “cardinal sin.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
“We have always acted in good faith, and insinuations that we have in any way attempted to circumvent our obligations is simply false,” a spokesman for TWG Global, Walter’s conglomerate, said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Woolf weighed a lot more than the imposts assigned to most of these horses, but somehow he was able to circumvent the rule requiring riders to be within five pounds of the assignment.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
But Carvajal-Muñoz’s attorneys are testing a legal theory that circumvents these roadblocks by suing officers under state law for violations of his constitutional rights.
From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2026
“From Internet memes to late-night comedians, from cartoons to the plays and poems as old as organized government itself — Political Satire circumvents traditional gatekeepers & helps hold those in power accountable,” he continued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2025
Wen's case shines a light on the various ways in which North Korea circumvents international sanctions on its arms trade.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025
International social media platforms like X and YouTube are blocked in China, but can still be accessed with software that circumvents the country’s censorship systems.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 26, 2024
Perhaps tomorrow someone will invent a theory consistent with everything else we know that circumvents paradoxes on such matters as simultaneity, avoids privileged reference frames and still permits travel faster than light.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
"Sanctions are being circumvented using ageing and poorly maintained tankers, putting coastlines and marine ecosystems at risk," she said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
This spring, an unnamed OpenAI model circumvented its sandbox to post some testing results publicly to the GitHub platform, OpenAI said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Furthermore, its product compliance checks could be "easily circumvented".
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
With swiftly circumvented filters and no discernment, LLMs deliver “expertise” even when they shouldn’t.
From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2026
The plot circumvented, Washkar went to work eliminating any remaining objections to his accession.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
The cute but destructive rodents are criminal masterminds, easily circumventing humans’ meager defenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Since the start of the year, nine shadow fleet tankers suspected of circumventing sanctions have been seized around the EU.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
"This indictment should send a message to all ship operators that circumventing safety requirements and breaking US laws will not be tolerated," Paul said.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
The column suggests that advanced AI systems have demonstrated a pattern of circumventing intended restrictions and safety constraints, raising fundamental questions about whether alignment with human values is achievable under current development approaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
And by catching and circumventing threatening behavior early, there was a good chance of diverting those students toward a more positive path.
From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
