sidestep
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L327759 on Wikidata ↗verb
- avoid
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈsaɪdˌstɛp/
noun
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *seh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *sīdaz Proto-Germanic *sīdǭ Old English sīde Middle English side English side Proto-Germanic *stapjaną Proto-West Germanic *stappjan Old English stæppan Middle English steppen English step English sidestep From side + step.
- A step to the side.
- A physical motion or metaphorical act to avoid or dodge something.
verb
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *seh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *sīdaz Proto-Germanic *sīdǭ Old English sīde Middle English side English side Proto-Germanic *stapjaną Proto-West Germanic *stappjan Old English stæppan Middle English steppen English step English sidestep From side + step.
- To step to the side.
“I […] knocked and waited. […] He sidestepped, and I went in.”
“Kilmarnock ought to have taken the lead on the stroke of half-time when Hefferman set up Kroca and, although the defender neatly sidestepped his marker, he fired straight into the chest of Enckelman.”
- To avoid or dodge.
“They sidestepped the issue.”
“It was noticeable that he sidestepped questions about continuation south of Crewe, on the grounds that he must await the report of Sir Ivan Stedeford's Advisory Group.”