circumvent
[ sur-kuhm-vent, sur-kuhm-vent ]
/ ˌsɜr kəmˈvɛnt, ˈsɜr kəmˌvɛnt /
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.
Nearby words
Origin of circumvent
1545–55; < Latin circumventus (past participle of circumvenīre to come around, surround, oppress, defraud), equivalent to circum- circum- + ven(īre) to come + -tus past participle suffix
Related forms
cir·cum·vent·er, cir·cum·ven·tor, nouncir·cum·ven·tion, nouncir·cum·ven·tive, adjectiveun·cir·cum·vent·ed, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for circumvention
British Dictionary definitions for circumvention
circumvent
/ (ˌsɜːkəmˈvɛnt) /
verb (tr)
to evade or go around
to outwit
to encircle (an enemy) so as to intercept or capture
Derived Forms
circumventer or circumventor, nouncircumvention, nouncircumventive, adjectiveWord 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