sidestep
Americanverb (used without object)
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to step to one side.
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to evade or avoid a decision, problem, or the like.
verb (used with object)
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to avoid or dodge by stepping aside.
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to evade or avoid (a decision, problem, or the like).
verb
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to step aside from or out of the way of (something)
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(tr) to dodge or circumvent
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sidestep
An Americanism dating back to 1900–05
Explanation
To sidestep something is to get around it by changing the subject or doing something else. If a little kid asks you where babies come from, you might sidestep the question by going to get ice cream. Very quickly. People sidestep questions all the time. When celebrities or politicians don’t want to talk about something, they sidestep reporters’ questions by answering in a long-winded, vague way — or by saying, "No comment." You can also sidestep in a more literal way by physically stepping around things, or stepping to the side in a dance or march. The military term was first used in the eighteenth century, and the figurative meaning followed around 1900.
Vocabulary lists containing sidestep
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.
But quibbling over individual op-eds let him sidestep some uncomfortable introspection.
From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026
The bottom line: If you’ve ever been tempted to sell in May, this is your best chance to sidestep a mediocre market — or worse.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
Some schools follow them enthusiastically, while others soften or sidestep them.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
One way to sidestep Europe and Asia’s energy problems is to focus on the Americas, where nations like Mexico and Brazil are energy giants in their own right.
From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026
I grabbed hold of a rope I’d strung there at waist level to serve as a handhold and began to sidestep along the ledge to the corner of the platform.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
