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Glite Dictionary
🚶 To avoid directly ↔️ A sideways step
sidestep

sidestep

1 4.2
A step to one side to avoid something, for example in boxing or dance
  • noun
  • /ˈsaɪdˌstɛp/
translation icon : paso lateral
  • Ooh, I love to dance the little sidestep. Now they see me, now they don't. I've come and gone.
  • take a sidestep
  • quick sidesteps
  • make a sidestep

Examples

  • He took a quick sidestep during the boxing match to avoid his opponent's punch.

  • As he does this, his horse starts, making a panicked sidestep that nearly unseats him.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Aramis executes a neat sidestep, stops the child's desperate progress with one arm while continuing to do battle with the other.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Klinger watched their cautious retreat quicken into a series of sidesteps, followed by a turning of their backs in unison, and a sprint that soon carried them out of sight behind a row of cars.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • With a graceful sidestep, the dancer changed direction smoothly on stage.

  • The horse made a swift sidestep to avoid the obstacle in its path.

How Fast

swerve
7 3.7
dodge
4 2.7
sidestep
1 4.2
shift
363 3.5
move
167 1.0

Surface Forms

sidestep singular
sidesteps plural

Morphology

sidestep = side + step (transparent) = side + step

The noun literally denotes a step to the side and an average learner can derive the meaning from 'side' + 'step'.

Etymology

Sidestep comes from the simple parts side and step, which together mean a step 'to the side'. Think of a dancer or boxer making a quick sidestep to avoid a partner or a punch, which is why the noun means a movement to one side.