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# circumvent

verb (circumvent, circumvents, circumvented, circumventing)

«circumvent» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (formal) To find a clever way to avoid a rule, problem or difficulty, often in a way that is not quite fair. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/circumvent/#m1)
2. (formal) To go around something that is in the way. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/circumvent/#m2)

### In the lessons

In news and adult life it describes getting round rules or controls — «circumventing the law», «circumventing parental controls». In stories it shows a clever, sometimes sneaky character. It tells the reader someone avoided an obstacle instead of facing it. It is a stiff, formal word; everyday English says «get round» or «get around».

### Examples

- He tried to circumvent the rules by using his brother's account. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/circumvent/#x1)
- The engineers circumvented the problem with a new design. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/circumvent/#x2)
- The army circumvented the mountains by marching along the coast. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/circumvent/#x3)
- Circumventing school internet filters is against the rules. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/circumvent/#x4)
- She found a way to circumvent the traffic jam. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/circumvent/#x5)
- Good laws are hard to circumvent. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/circumvent/#x6)
- But the watchful Nephele contrived to circumvent her cruel designs, and succeeded in getting the children out of the palace. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/circumvent/#x7)

### Note

Regular verb: circumvented, circumventing. Formal; «get round» is the everyday way to say it. Built from «circum» (around, as in circumference) + «vent» (come). Often suggests something sneaky.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «circumvent» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/circumvent/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«circumvent» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/circumvent.html) on Mova free.