circumvention
Americannoun
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the act of bypassing or going around something.
Taking the northern route, to allow circumvention of the mountains, made the journey twice as long.
-
the act of avoiding, evading, or forestalling something, often by cleverness or deception.
Thorough consultation before implementing an innovation allows for the circumvention of potential risks.
Etymology
Origin of circumvention
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin circumventiōn-, stem of circumventiō “a coming around, surrounding; oppression,” equivalent to circumvent ( def. ) + -ion ( def. )
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.
Salary-cap circumvention first surfaced with Leonard during his free agency in 2019 after he led the Raptors to the NBA championship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
That circumvention of Iran’s control has irked domestic critics of the preliminary peace deal with the U.S., which primarily aimed to reopen the strait and take pressure off oil prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Iran is generally a very tech-savvy country, and many people constantly have multiple circumvention apps on their phones.
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
Fortunately, the U.S. doesn’t need new legislation to halt such circumvention.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 2026
But, besides this external warfare, he perhaps suffered still more from inward conflicts; for often, in order to compass his objects, he was obliged to adopt measures of circumvention and violence, which his conscience disapproved.
From The Betrothed From the Italian of Alessandro Manzoni by Alessandro Manzoni
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.
