sidestep

[ sahyd-step ]

/ ˈsaɪdˌstɛp /

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See synonyms for: sidestep / sidestepped / sidestepping on Thesaurus.com

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).

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Origin of sidestep

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

OTHER WORDS FROM sidestep

sidestepper, noun

Words nearby sidestep

sideslip, sidesman, sidespin, sidesplitter, sidesplitting, sidestep, sidestream smoke, side street, sidestroke, sideswipe, side table

Other definitions for sidestep (2 of 2)

side step

noun

a step to one side, as in dancing, skiing, or boxing.

Origin of side step

First recorded in 1840–50

How to use sidestep in a sentence

It can be extremely awkward to ask a friend to put their mask on when they aren’t eating or to sidestep a hug from a loved one.
The New Risks of Dining Out|Elazar Sontag|February 3, 2021|Eater
Hirshland, for her part, sidesteps the issue in her tweet and doesn’t try to suggest what a divisive demonstration might look like.
The Inherent Dilemma of Olympic Protest Rules|Martin Fritz Huber|December 14, 2020|Outside Online
Both ads sidestep seasonal cliches, albeit from opposite ends of the spectrum.
‘It’s difficult to make the right call’: The many faces of the U.K.’s coronavirus-era Christmas advertising|Seb Joseph|November 12, 2020|Digiday
On the walk home through my Left Bank neighborhood, I sidestepped a restaurant that was packed both inside and at the tables set up along the sidewalk.
‘A curfew at nine o’clock is like closing restaurants’: For the French, the latest COVID measures cross a line|Vivienne Walt|October 15, 2020|Fortune

That’s enabled its permit customers to sidestep heavy fines while delaying introduction of low-margin EVs, and packing their fleets with lucrative, gas-guzzling SUVs, trucks, and vans.
Tesla’s biggest profit center is dangerously close to running out of power|Shawn Tully|September 30, 2020|Fortune
But Pragnell is hoping Casa Bruja will sidestep the trend's downturn.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A man appears to sidestep Graham as she walks by, then begins to follow her.
Person of Interest Identified in Disappearance of UVA Student Hannah Graham|Julia Horowitz|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Justice Thurgood Marshall saw this sidestep for what it was.
Affirmative Action Isn’t Oppressive, but the Roberts Court Wants to End It Anyway|Mike Sacks|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The only question now is whether Boehner has the onions to sidestep the radicals.
Immigration, Round 2: Still a Reach|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sidestep snobby French cab drivers by hiring an iPad-toting chauffeur-driven car.
The 15 Hottest New Apps at Dublin’s Web Summit|Tom Sykes|October 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Rapid fire legs sidestep the etchings of industrious ants while silverfish are the boatmen trouncing human oars.
The Land of Look Behind|Paul Cameron Brown
When you seek to escape you find yourself backed up to the wall with no chance to sidestep.
Twenty Years a Detective in the Wickedest City in the World|Clifton R. Wooldridge
"I just somehow kain't git over the notion she ought to sidestep them little rocks and holes of her own accord," he exclaimed.
The Killer|Stewart Edward White
By the time Kinton's aging muscles obeyed his impulse to sidestep, the spear had already hurtled past.
Exile|Horace Brown Fyfe
It was advantageous to sidestep the Crown since a letter or document took half a year to reach Spain.
The Haciendas of Mexico|Paul Alexander Bartlett

British Dictionary definitions 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

Derived forms of sidestep

sidestepper, noun

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

Origin of sidestep

OTHER WORDS FROM sidestep

Words nearby sidestep

Other definitions for sidestep (2 of 2)

Origin of side step

Words related to sidestep

How to use sidestep in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sidestep

Derived forms of sidestep