circumvent

English

Alternative forms

• circumvene

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin circumveniō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /səːkəmˈvɛnt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Verb

circumvent (third-person singular simple present circumvents, present participle circumventing, simple past and past participle circumvented)

1. (transitive) to avoid or get around something; to bypass
   • 1950 April, Timothy H. Cobb, “The Kenya-Uganda Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 265:

     The line turns a sharp right-angle to the north to circumvent the town, and then plunges straight into the 1 in 50, which lasts for nearly 20 miles with few intermissions, and some pitches of 1 in 40.

2. (transitive) to surround or besiege
3. (transitive) to outwit or outsmart
   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, pages 279–280:

     We are mortified by not being thought worthy of trust; and there is also a feeling of small triumph in circumventing those who doubt either our inclination or our power of service.

Derived terms

• circumventable
• circumvental
• circumventer
• circumvential
• circumventingly
• circumvention
• circumventive
• circumventor

Related terms

• circumvention
• circumventive

Translations

to avoid or get around something

Bulgarian: заобика́лям (bg) impf (zaobikáljam), заобиколя́ pf (zaobikoljá) Catalan: evitar (ca), circumvalar Chinese: Mandarin: 規避 / 规避 (zh) (guībì) Danish: omgå Dutch: omzeilen (nl) French: contourner (fr) Georgian: გვერდის ავლა (gverdis avla), გარს შემოვლა (gars šemovla) German: umgehen (de) Italian: eludere (it), circonvenire (it) Maori: honi, hohoni, taku Portuguese: contornar (pt) Romanian: înconjura (ro), ocoli (ro), conturna Russian: обходи́ть (ru) impf (obxodítʹ), обойти́ (ru) pf (obojtí) Spanish: evitar (es), eludir (es), baipasear, circunvalar (es), obviar (es), soslayar (es), contornear (es), contornar (es) Swedish: kringgå (sv) Ukrainian: обійти (obijty)

to surround or besiege

Catalan: rodejar (ca), bordejar (ca), circumvalar Danish: omringe French: cerner (fr) German: umlagern (de) Irish: timpeallaigh Italian: circondare (it) Portuguese: rodear (pt), cercar (pt) Russian: обойти́ (ru) (obojtí) Spanish: rodear (es), bordear (es), circunvalar (es)

to outwit

Bulgarian: надхитрявам (nadhitrjavam), изигравам (bg) (izigravam) Catalan: burlar (ca) (no en el sentit de mofar (ca)) French: circonvenir (fr) Georgian: მოტყუება (moṭq̇ueba) German: ausmanövrieren Russian: обойти́ (ru) (obojtí) Spanish: circunvenir (es) (disused), sortear (es), burlar (es), iludir (es) Ukrainian: перехитрити (perexytryty), обійти (закон) (obijty (zakon))