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Verb: circumvent  ,sur-kum'vent
  1. Beat through cleverness and wit
    "She circumvented her competitors";
    - outwit, overreach, outsmart, outfox, beat, outthink
     
  2. 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
     
  3. Encircle as a military tactic
    "The troops circumvented the enemy position";
    - besiege, beleaguer, surround, hem in, siege

Derived forms: circumvented, circumventing, circumvents

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

Encyclopedia: Circumvent