EN

Synonyms for circumvent

  • verb

Most common

evade outsmart sidestep outwit

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Outwit

outwit, sidestep, evade, outsmart, frustrate, overreach, trick, elude, take in, dodge, defraud, deceive, put off, skirt, beat, bamboozle informal, victimize, victimise UK, delude, betray, dupe, baffle, beguile

2. Surround

surround, besiege, hem in, beleaguer

Other

out-general, hood-wink, encompass

Definitions

  1. v. 1

    to avoid or get around something; to bypass

  2. v. 2

    to surround or besiege

Related words

Word family
circumvention
Other spellings
circumvene

Forms

Past participle
circumvented
e.g. circumvented → outwitted, sidestepped, evaded, outsmarted…

Example sentences

  • evade Being born of it, you cannot evade its principles.
  • outsmart Tom didn't expect that Mary would outsmart him.
  • sidestep He attempted to sidestep a conflict with his chief.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
circumventrising
evadesteady
outsmartrising
sidesteprising
outwitrising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters
beat1, dupe1
5 letters
trick1, skirt1, dodge1, evade2, elude2
6 letters
betray2, baffle2, outwit2, delude2
7 letters
deceive2, defraud2, besiege2, beguile2
8 letters
surround2, outsmart2, sidestep2
9 letters
encompass3, frustrate2, overreach3, bamboozle, victimize3, victimise, beleaguer3

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (evade2 = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français
circonvenir
Deutsch
umstimmen