circumvent
verb (used with object)
to go around or bypass.
was circumventing
-
past progressiveof circumvent.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
The view of some at senior levels of the New Brunswick government was that the informal working group, seduced by the possibility of a scientific mystery, was circumventing the province.
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026
Barr had initially scheduled five executions set to begin in December, but some of the inmates challenged the new procedures in court, arguing that the government was circumventing proper methods to wrongly execute inmates quickly.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 2, 2020
Some of the selected inmates challenged the new procedures in court, arguing that the government was circumventing proper methods in order to execute inmates quickly -- and wrongly.
From Fox News ● Nov. 21, 2019
The group argued that Georgia was circumventing federal law to set rates.
From New York Times ● Dec. 27, 2013
He cheered his followers even while he was circumventing their mutiny.
From The Spanish Pioneers by Charles F. Lummis
