sidestep
[ sahyd-step ]
/ ˈsaɪdˌstɛp /
verb (used without object), side·stepped, side·step·ping.
to step to one side.
to evade or avoid a decision, problem, or the like.
verb (used with object), side·stepped, side·step·ping.
to avoid or dodge by stepping aside.
to evade or avoid (a decision, problem, or the like).
RELATED WORDS
skirt, avoid, evade, bypass, duck, fudge, pussyfoot, escape, elude, weasel, shake, shirk, ditch, juke
Nearby words
- sidesman,
- sidespin,
- sidesplitter,
- sidesplitting,
- sidesplittingly,
- sidestream smoke,
- sidestroke,
- sideswipe,
- sidetrack,
- sidewalk
Origin of sidestep
An Americanism dating back to 1900–05
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for sidestep
sidestep
/ (ˈsaɪdˌstɛp) /
verb -steps, -stepping or -stepped
to step aside from or out of the way of (something)
(tr) to dodge or circumvent
noun side step
a movement to one side, as in dancing, boxing, etc
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
sidestep
also side-step, 1757, "a stepping to the side" (originally in military drill), from side (adj.) + step (n.). The verb is recorded from 1895; the figurative sense is attested from 1900.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper