WordWeb Online

1. Encircle as a military tactic
   "The Turks circumvented Vienna"
   - besiege, beleaguer, surround, hem in
    
2. Beat through cleverness and wit
   "She circumvented her competitors"
   - outwit, overreach, outsmart, outfox, beat
    
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, sidestep, finesse

Derived forms: circumventing, circumvents, circumvented

See also: circumvention

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