workaround

or work-a·round

[ wurk-uh-round ]

/ ˈwɜrk əˌraʊnd /

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noun

Computers. a strategy or technique used to overcome a defect or other problem in a program or system: This is a known bug in version 1.5, but a workaround is available.

any method used to overcome a technical problem, especially a problem that could prevent success: The astronauts needed a workaround to bypass the faulty cable.

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Origin of workaround

First recorded in 1970–75; work + around

Words nearby workaround

wore-out, work, workable, workaday, workaholic, workaround, work back, workbag, workbasket, workbench, workboat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use workaround in a sentence

The content studio has found a workaround in shooting outside or coaching talent on how to film themselves.
‘Everything was done in stages’: How Covid-19 impacted DoorDash’s first Super Bowl spot|Kimeko McCoy|January 28, 2021|Digiday
Assembloids are a sort of “mini-me,” a workaround for testing potential treatments on a simple “replica” of a person rather than directly on a human.
Meet Assembloids, Mini Human Brains With Muscles Attached|Shelly Fan|January 12, 2021|Singularity Hub
Harvard researchers are, however, developing a workaround based on the physical principles of a children’s pop-up toy.
Why ‘soft robots’ have NASA, doctors, and tech whizzes so excited|jakemeth|January 1, 2021|Fortune
Rapid advances in AI have provided a potential workaround by letting robots learn how to carry out tasks instead of relying on hand-coded instructions.
New Deep Learning Method Helps Robots Become Jacks-of-all-Trades|Edd Gent|December 14, 2020|Singularity Hub

Some workarounds already are coming into practice, relying on things like grouping cohorts to reach the right consumers with the right message.
The promising post-cookie world|Ryan Bricklemyer|December 4, 2020|Search Engine Watch
One workaround is for EMR software to include pre-programmed template notes.
The Unintended Consequences of Electronic Medical Records, Continued|Megan McArdle|January 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Your union workers and their rep may be willing to workaround these things for you, but it is a favor, not a right you have.
Should Teachers Be Graded On Standardized Tests?|Megan McArdle|September 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Faced with a roadblock, Google last year came up with a workaround.
Google Attempts to Take Down Facebook With ‘Search Plus Your World’ Feature|Dan Lyons|January 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for workaround

workaround

/ (ˈwɜːkəˌraʊnd) /

noun

a method of circumventing or overcoming a problem in a computer program or system

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