circumvent

1 surround so as to force to give up; "The Turks besieged Vienna" [syn: besiege, beleaguer, surround, hem in]

2 beat through cleverness and wit; "I beat the traffic"; "She outfoxed her competitors" [syn: outwit, overreach, outsmart, outfox, beat]

3 avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues); "He dodged the issue"; "she skirted the problem"; "They tend to evade their responsibilities"; "he evaded the questions skillfully" [syn: hedge, fudge, evade, put off, parry, elude, skirt, dodge, duck, sidestep]

English

Etymology

circum + venire

Verb

1. to avoid or get around something; to bypass
2. to surround or besiege
3. to outwit or outsmart

Related terms

• circumvention
• circumventive

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