sidestepped
Deftly moved around
Sidestepped is the past tense of sidestep, which means to step aside to avoid something—literally moving out of the way of an obstacle or collision: She sidestepped the puddle.
More often figurative: to evade or avoid dealing with something directly: The senator sidestepped the question about campaign funding.
The word suggests deliberate evasion rather than accidental avoidance.
Point of rotation
- shiftMovement or work period
- swerveAbrupt directional change
- veerChange course suddenly
- jukeDeceptive athletic sidestep
jink · feint · dodge · weave · bob · zigzag · reposition · divert
Avoided by going around
- duckedBent down suddenly
- shunnedPersistently avoided socially
- eschewedDeliberately kept away from
- avertedPrevented from occurring
deflected · ignored · overlooked · neglected · sidelined · rebuffed · parried · fended
Deceptive mock attack
- ployCalculated deceptive tactic
- gambitRisky opening for advantage
- decoyFalse target for misdirection
- diversionRedirection of attention
bluff · countermove · stratagem · ruse · maneuver · workaround · finesse · sleight
Quick and light-moving
- quickMoving with speed
- dexterousPhysically skilled, agile
- agileLimber and quick-moving
- spryLively despite years
fleet · lightfooted · graceful · coordinated · athletic · lithe · supple · acrobatic
Skillful avoidance of capture
- dodgingAvoiding by moving aside
- shirkingAvoiding obligatory tasks
- duckingBending to avoid impact
- circumventionAct of going around
escape · slipperiness · evasiveness · equivocation · prevarication · avoidance · deflection · obfuscation
pivot
Point of rotation
juke · jink · feint · dodge · weave · bob · zigzag · reposition · divert · deflect
skirted
Avoided by going around
averted · deflected · ignored · overlooked · neglected · sidelined · rebuffed · parried · fended · warded
feint
Deceptive mock attack
diversion · bluff · countermove · stratagem · ruse · maneuver · workaround · finesse · sleight · outflanking
nimble
Quick and light-moving
spry · fleet · lightfooted · graceful · coordinated · athletic · lithe · supple · acrobatic · balletic
elusion
Skillful avoidance of capture
circumvention · escape · slipperiness · evasiveness · equivocation · prevarication · avoidance · deflection · obfuscation · misdirection
- downplaying tacticsdownplayed, minimized, trivialized, understated, belittled
sidesteppedconfronted
Challenged or opposed directly
addressed · faced · tackled · engaged · dealt with