ENGLISH
REFERENCE

circumvent

v.
C1 Advanced US //ˌsɝkəmˈvɛnt// UK //sˈɜːkəmvˌɛnt// cir·cum·vent

v. to find a clever way around a rule or a problem. Instead of following the path everyone else takes, you find a shortcut or a trick to avoid it.

v. to find a way around an obstacle or to bypass a rule or restriction through ingenuity or stratagem. Often implies avoiding a legal or administrative requirement without strictly breaking the law.


SIMPLE

They found a way to circumvent the new security rules.

CONTEXTUAL

The company moved its headquarters to another country to circumvent the high tax rates in its home nation.

COMPLEX

Skilled hackers often look for social engineering vulnerabilities to circumvent sophisticated digital firewalls that are otherwise impenetrable to direct brute-force attacks.

Synonyms
Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin circumveniō.

Usage

The verb is transitive and always takes a direct object, typically a rule, law, or physical obstacle.

Pitfall

circumvent around the problemcircumvent the problemCircumvent already contains the meaning of 'around'; adding the preposition 'around' is redundant.

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