circumvent
[ sur-kuhm-vent, sur-kuhm-vent ]
verb (used with object)
to go around or bypass: to circumvent the lake;to circumvent the real issues.
to avoid (defeat, failure, unpleasantness, etc.) by artfulness or deception; avoid by anticipating or outwitting: He circumvented capture by anticipating their movements.
to surround or encompass, as by stratagem; entrap: to circumvent a body of enemy troops.
Origin of circumvent
1First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin circumventus (past participle of circumvenīre “to come around, surround, oppress, defraud”), equivalent to circum- circum- + ven(īre) “to come” + -tus past participle suffix
Other words for circumvent
Other words from circumvent
- cir·cum·vent·er, cir·cum·ven·tor, noun
- cir·cum·ven·tion, noun
- cir·cum·ven·tive, adjective
- un·cir·cum·vent·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for circumvent
circumvent
/ (ˌsɜːkəmˈvɛnt) /
verb(tr)
to evade or go around
to outwit
to encircle (an enemy) so as to intercept or capture
Origin of circumvent
1C15: from Latin circumvenīre, from circum- + venīre to come
Derived forms of circumvent
- circumventer or circumventor, noun
- circumvention, noun
- circumventive, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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