workaround

American  

[wurk-uh-round] / ˈwɜrk əˌraʊnd /

Or work-around

noun

1. 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.

2. 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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workaround British  

/ ˈwɜːkəˌraʊnd /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of workaround

First recorded in 1970–75; work + around

Example Sentences

“If the product liability workaround to Section 230 is tenable, then there is no need to revise or reform Section 230 because it’s already a dead letter,” Goldman said.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026

Don’t miss: Saudi Arabia has a workaround for the Hormuz crude-export standstill.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

"There's always a workaround, there's always a way to reframe it in your mind, but also physically, what you can do with those symptoms."

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Accordingly, the advocates of inflation-indexing of capital gains have dusted off a workaround that first surfaced in 1992, during the George H. W. Bush administration.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Fortunately, the rest of the brain is equipped with a workaround for the bottleneck.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker