sidestep

American  

[sahyd-step] / ˈsaɪdˌstɛp /

verb (used without object)

sidestepped, sidestepping

1. to step to one side.

2. to evade or avoid a decision, problem, or the like.

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verb (used with object)

sidestepped, sidestepping

1. to avoid or dodge by stepping aside.

2. to evade or avoid (a decision, problem, or the like).

sidestep British  

/ ˈsaɪdˌstɛp /

verb

1. to step aside from or out of the way of (something)

2. (tr) to dodge or circumvent

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noun

1. a movement to one side, as in dancing, boxing, etc

Other Word Forms

• sidestepper
  noun

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.

Example Sentences

That change is task one: Sidestep every attempt he and his allies make to equate treating people badly with being strong, because their efforts to link those concepts are working.

From Slate • Jun. 14, 2018

He called Botham the "Sidestep Queen" during the 1981 Ashes when he had added a little sideways jump into his delivery stride.

From BBC • Jul. 26, 2014

But Sidestep has money and momentum, and it is adding to the 28 airlines now signed up.

From Time Magazine Archive

Sidestep backward around the other side of the cone.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Related Words

• avoid
• bypass
• duck
• evade
• fudge
• skirt