Circumvent

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /səːkəmˈvɛnt/

Definitions

1. To avoid or get around an obstacle, rule, or difficulty through cleverness or indirect means
2. To evade or bypass an obstacle, rule, or constraint by using indirect or cunning methods
3. To find a way around a limitation or barrier through shrewd tactics or clever maneuvering

Etymology: The verb "circumvent" is built from two Latin parts: "circum," meaning "around," and "venire," "to come," so the literal sense is "to come around" someone or something. In Latin, "circumvenire" could mean to surround, encircle, or get the better of someone by coming at them from all sides, and that last sense of tricking or outwitting is the one that carried into English. English borrowed the word directly from Latin "circumvenio," so it is a learned borrowing rather than a word that arrived through everyday speech. The modern sense of getting around an obstacle, such as a law or a rule, developed from that image of approaching from the side rather than head-on. Someone who circumvents a rule slips past it instead of meeting it directly, which is the same physical movement the Latin verb described when a force moved around an enemy's position.

Synonyms: bypass, avoid, elude, dodge, outsmart

Antonyms: confront, face, meet, allow, submit