sidestep
[sahyd-step]
- to step to one side.
- to evade or avoid a decision, problem, or the like.
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- 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for sidestep
Contemporary Examples
But Pragnell is hoping Casa Bruja will sidestep the trend's downturn.
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 GrahamJulia Horowitz
September 19, 2014
Justice Thurgood Marshall saw this sidestep for what it was.
Affirmative Action Isn’t Oppressive, but the Roberts Court Wants to End It AnywayMike Sacks
April 23, 2014
The only question now is whether Boehner has the onions to sidestep the radicals.
Sidestep snobby French cab drivers by hiring an iPad-toting chauffeur-driven car.
Historical Examples
It took us all night to sidestep that outrage, but we did it.
At Good Old SiwashGeorge Fitch
He saw that Cheever was quicker than he at the feint and the sidestep.
We Can't Have EverythingRupert Hughes
When a man has anything somebody gets it before he can sidestep.
The Fighting ChanceRobert W. Chambers
Maybe he could sidestep the lessons before she pinned him down.
The SouthernerThomas Dixon
Cautiously, prepared for a lunge or a sidestep, Kazan advanced a little.
KazanJames Oliver Curwood
sidestep
- to step aside from or out of the way of (something)
- (tr) to dodge or circumvent
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- a movement to one side, as in dancing, boxing, etc
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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
Word Origin and History for sidestep
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper