verb
circumvent
sur-kum-VENT/ˌsɜːrkəmˈvent/
To find a clever way around something that blocks or restricts you.
The walker circumvents the fallen tree by taking a short detour around it.
Etymology
“Coming around” supplied an image of encircling, including surrounding someone by stratagem. In the selected sense, the maneuver gets around a difficulty or restriction rather than confronting it directly.
In context
the signature was forged by Colin Decker who exploited his background as a former bank manager to circumvent the security protocols
More examples
- The company tried to circumvent the restriction.
- She circumvented the scheduling problem with a remote meeting.
- The new design is circumventing a technical limitation.
Forms
circumvent · circumvents · circumvented · circumventing
Similar words
- overcome
- Overcome defeats an obstacle directly; circumvent finds a way around it.