sidestep difficulties

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "sidestep difficulties" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when discussing strategies or actions taken to avoid challenges or obstacles in a situation. Example: "In order to meet the deadline, the team decided to sidestep difficulties by simplifying the project scope."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Wheeldon does not sidestep the difficulties.

The New Yorker

The extra energy required would reduce a state-of-the-art supercritical plant's overall efficiency by about 10%, according to the IEA .Oxy-fuel" plants sIEA .Oxy-fuelifficulties of seplantsng oxygen and nitrogen in the flue gasidestepning coal in pure oxygen rather than air.

The Economist

Santa Clara hopes its incubator program can help a new generation of entrepreneurs sidestep such difficulties, and along the way boost the fortunes of the world's poor.

Forbes

Thus, OC self-control efforts, designed to sidestep social difficulties, function to create the very consequences that OC individuals fear the most.

BMC Psychiatry

The professors largely sidestep this difficulty.

The New York Times

There is a way to sidestep this difficulty by using an object called a distribution.

The Guardian

But in its push into China, Softbank has avoided many of these headaches by focusing on e-commerce, local social networking sites and online games — sidestepping the difficulties of government censorship.

The New York Times - Tech

This interpretation seems to sidestep the difficulty.

SEP

Roumeliotis hopes to sidestep the difficulty of acquiring customers by working through phone providers that are already giving businesses a phone number.

TechCrunch

PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments At the press tour and in subsequent promotional appearances, Hall has mostly sidestepped those difficulties, attributing his departure to his decision to bring more balance to his personal life.

Los Angeles Times

To sidestep this difficulty, an alternative approach combines weighted kernels with SVMs [19] [22]; this approach assigns a weight to each variable to indicate its relevance.

Plosone

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "sidestep difficulties", ensure that the context clearly indicates a deliberate act of avoidance, not merely a failure to address a problem.

Common error

Avoid using "sidestep difficulties" when the situation calls for actively resolving the issues. "Sidestepping" implies avoidance, which may not always be the appropriate solution.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "sidestep difficulties" functions as a verb phrase where "sidestep" acts as a transitive verb taking "difficulties" as its direct object. Ludwig AI confirms its common usage in contexts where challenges are intentionally avoided.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

42%

Science

33%

Wiki

25%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "sidestep difficulties" is a commonly used and grammatically correct phrase that describes the act of strategically avoiding problems. Ludwig AI confirms this. Predominantly found in news, science, and general contexts, it suggests a deliberate choice to bypass challenges rather than confront them head-on. While versatile, it's important to ensure its usage aligns with the intended meaning of strategic avoidance, distinguishing it from mere inaction or failure to address issues. Alternatives like "avoid challenges" or "bypass obstacles" can offer similar meanings with slightly different connotations.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

evade difficulties

Emphasizes escaping or avoiding a problem, often implying a degree of cunning or কৌশল.

bypass difficulties

Suggests finding a way around a problem without directly confronting it.

avoid difficulties

A general term for preventing problems from arising or encountering them.

circumvent difficulties

Implies using কৌশল to overcome or avoid a problem.

dodge difficulties

Suggests quickly moving out of the way of a problem.

navigate difficulties

Focuses on skillfully guiding oneself through a set of problems.

mitigate difficulties

Highlights reducing the severity or impact of existing problems, rather than avoiding them completely.

alleviate difficulties

Indicates making problems less severe or easier to bear.

ease difficulties

Focuses on reducing the burden or effort associated with problems.

tackle difficulties

Refers to addressing problems head-on, differing from avoiding them.

FAQs

How can I use "sidestep difficulties" in a sentence?

You can use "sidestep difficulties" to describe a strategy or action taken to avoid challenges. For example, "In order to meet the deadline, the team decided to "sidestep difficulties" by simplifying the project scope."

What are some alternatives to "sidestep difficulties"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives such as "avoid challenges", "bypass obstacles", or "evade difficulties".

Is "sidestep difficulties" a formal or informal expression?

"Sidestep difficulties" is suitable for both formal and informal contexts. Its appropriateness depends more on the surrounding vocabulary and the overall tone of the writing.

When is it not appropriate to use "sidestep difficulties"?

It's not appropriate to use "sidestep difficulties" when the situation requires actively addressing the problems or challenges directly, rather than avoiding them. In such cases, phrases like "address difficulties" or "tackle difficulties" might be more suitable.