CIRCUMVENT Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

circumvent

verb

ˌsər-kəm-ˈvent

Definition of circumvent

as in to bypass

to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness employees who try to circumvent the company's dress code

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to avoid

to avoid by going around circumvented the traffic jam by taking an alternate route

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to traverse

to travel completely around most casual joggers will be able to circumvent the reservoir without too much of a strain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of circumvent Australia doubled the maximum penalty imposed on social media companies that fail to comply with the ban on under-16 users, as evidence grew that children are circumventing restrictions. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 30 June 2026 However, senior administration officials became worried that users might be able to circumvent Fable 5’s guardrails — though experts disagreed over the severity of the risk. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 1 July 2026 The amendments would also give the commissioner power to demand information from third parties, including age assurance technology providers, to test claims made by platforms about how children continued to circumvent the ban. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 Shortly after Torre’s first episode was released, the NBA opened an investigation into whether the Clippers and chairman Steve Ballmer used Aspiration’s sponsorship relationship with the franchise to circumvent league salary-cap rules. — Law Murray, New York Times, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for circumvent

Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumvent

Verb

When a user asks an AI to find a running shoe that can arrive by Friday for under $100, the agent bypasses the company's storefront entirely.

— Arne Jeroschewski, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Commissioners also discussed Florida’s Live Local Act, which allows qualifying housing developments to bypass certain local zoning regulations.

— Sofia Baltodano, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026

Definition of bypass

Verb

Other methods to reduce the harm from sweltering temperatures include more breaks and flexible shifts so workers can avoid the midday sun, according to the WHO.

— Christopher Cann, USA Today, 2 July 2026
While the morning may feel personal — especially if someone questions your judgment, appearance or direction — avoid treating their feedback (or silence) as rejection.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026

Definition of avoid

Verb

Tehran meanwhile has tried to strengthen its leverage by saying crew members must gain permission to traverse the strait along routes approved by its officials.

— Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
The first Spanish expedition to California in 1542 was followed about 220 years later when Gaspar de Portolá and Franciscan monk Junipero Serra traversed the coastal lands.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026

Definition of traverse

Verb

The suspect, 30‑year‑old Trevion Mark of Fort Worth, was arrested nearby without incident and charged with reckless endangerment and evading arrest in a motor vehicle, according to DPS.

— Doug Myers, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Mark was charged with reckless endangerment and evading arrest in a motor vehicle and booked into the Tarrant County Jail.

— Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026

Definition of evade

Verb

The evening of the shoot, there was frequent hum of tourist helicopters circling the island, and a few party boats blasting music, which threatened to put a damper on the plans.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026
Minutes later the pike was just under the surface, circling close to the boat.

— Jack G. Mell, Outdoor Life, 2 July 2026

Definition of circle

Verb

While most people enjoy eating the arils after separating them from the bitter white membrane that encircle them, other parts of the fruit can also be used to make juice or extracts.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 July 2026
The island had gone from farm and pasture in the nineteenth century to nature preserves and residential property in the twentieth, its silvery shingled homes encircled by forests and deer.

— Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

Definition of encircle

Verb

Swift will either ignore the noise as usual, or smile at the absurdity as a secure, proud childless cat lady.

— Bryan West, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Not only were the rules misapplied, according to an expert referee with years of elite experience, but similar plays during this tournament have been ignored.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026

Definition of ignore

Cite this Entry

Style

“Circumvent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumvent. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of circumvent

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on circumvent

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

perfunctory

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes