WordWeb Online

1. Encircle as a military tactic
   "The Turks circumvented Vienna";
   - besiege, beleaguer, surround, hem in, siege
    
2. Beat through cleverness and wit
   "She circumvented her competitors";
   - outwit, overreach, outsmart, outfox, beat, outthink
    
3. Avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
   "They tend to circumvent their responsibilities";
   - hedge, fudge, evade, put off, parry, elude, skirt, dodge, duck [informal], sidestep, finesse, circumnavigate

Derived forms: circumvents, circumvented, circumventing

Type of: assail, attack, avoid, exceed, outdo, outgo [archaic], outmatch, outperform, outstrip, surmount, surpass

Encyclopedia: Circumvent