Meaning & use

sidestep

verb·Everyday

To move quickly to one side to avoid something, or to avoid dealing with a difficult question or issue.

See it in a sentence

The boxer sidestepped the punch and countered with a quick jab of his own.

The senator sidestepped the reporter's question about the controversial vote.

A note on using this word

The figurative sense, avoiding a topic, is at least as common today as the literal sense of stepping aside physically.

Words with a similar meaning

dodgeevade

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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