circumvent

[ sur-kuhm-vent, sur-kuhm-vent ]

/ ˌsɜr kəmˈvɛnt, ˈsɜr kəmˌvɛnt /

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See synonyms for: circumvent / circumvented / circumvention on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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.

to surround or encompass, as by stratagem; entrap: to circumvent a body of enemy troops.

OTHER WORDS FOR circumvent

2 escape, elude, evade, outwit.

3 encircle; ensnare.

See synonyms for circumvent on Thesaurus.com

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM circumvent

cir·cum·vent·er, cir·cum·ven·tor, nouncir·cum·ven·tion, nouncir·cum·ven·tive, adjectiveun·cir·cum·vent·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use circumvent in a sentence

Entrepreneurs in Côte d’Ivoire are circumventing high retail rents and government bureaucracy to start businesses online, resulting in a thriving informal digital economy.
Côte d’Ivoire’s informal economy has come online and the government’s not happy|Kingsley Kobo|February 16, 2021|Quartz
Diamandis apparently believed that testing could be an infallible way to circumvent these evidence-based precautions.
He started a covid-19 vaccine company. Then he hosted a superspreader event.|Eileen Guo|February 13, 2021|MIT Technology Review
He wasn’t fooled by Wall Street’s attempt to circumvent the new rules on derivatives, the financial sidebets that exacerbated the 2008 crisis.
The Return of the Regulators|by Jesse Eisinger|February 2, 2021|ProPublica
This year, the news organizations have reported on the various ways in which coastal homeowners have used loopholes to circumvent Hawaii’s environmental laws, winning exemptions to protect their properties at the expense of the state’s beaches.
Officials Let Hawaii’s Waterfront Homeowners Damage Public Beaches Again and Again|by Sophie Cocke, Honolulu Star-Advertiser|December 31, 2020|ProPublica

Turks have simply circumvented the ban and intensified their attacks on his government.
Turkey’s Useless Twitter Ban|Thomas Seibert|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In business the subtle art of his absorbing rapacity circumvented any attempt to lessen his profits by the shaving of a copper.
The Surprises of Life|Georges Clemenceau
To the noble woman do thou no further harm, though thou the royal bride with guiles hast circumvented.
The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson; and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson|Saemund Sigfusson and Snorre Sturleson
But even these precautions were circumvented by sharpers who advertised their wretched wares as marked-down Ingersolls.
Christopher and the Clockmakers|Sara Ware Bassett
Two mere youths had circumvented the legal and military sagacity of the sages of Perth.
The Last Laird of MacNab|Various
For these love to consult, the other (fearing to be circumvented,) to strike first.
Leviathan|Thomas Hobbes

British Dictionary definitions for circumvent

circumvent

/ (ˌsɜːkəmˈvɛnt) /

verb (tr)

to evade or go around

to outwit

to encircle (an enemy) so as to intercept or capture

Derived forms of circumvent

circumventer or circumventor, nouncircumvention, nouncircumventive, adjective

Word Origin for circumvent

C15: from Latin circumvenīre, from circum- + venīre to come

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

circumvent

OTHER WORDS FOR circumvent

Origin of circumvent

OTHER WORDS FROM circumvent

Words related to circumvent

How to use circumvent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for circumvent

Derived forms of circumvent

Word Origin for circumvent