avoid

[uh-void]

verb (used with object)

1. to keep away from; keep clear of; shun.

   to avoid a person;

   to avoid taxes;

   to avoid danger.

   Synonyms: dodge, elude, evade
   Antonyms: encounter, face, confront

2. to prevent from happening.

   to avoid falling.

3. Law.,  to make void or of no effect; invalidate.

4. Obsolete.,  to empty; eject or expel.

avoid

/ əˈvɔɪd /

verb

1. to keep out of the way of

2. to refrain from doing

3. to prevent from happening

   to avoid damage to machinery

4. law to make (a plea, contract, etc) void; invalidate; quash

5. obsolete,  to expel

6. obsolete,  to depart from

Other Word Forms

• avoidable adjective
• avoidably adverb
• avoider noun
• nonavoidable adjective
• nonavoidableness noun
• nonavoidably adverb
• unavoiding adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of avoid¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English avoiden, from Anglo-French avoider, equivalent to a- ⁴ ( def. ) + void ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of avoid¹

C14: from Anglo-French avoider, from Old French esvuidier, from vuidier to empty, _void

Synonym Study

Avoid, escape mean to come through a potentially harmful or unpleasant experience, without suffering serious consequences. To avoid is to succeed in keeping away from something dangerous or undesirable: to avoid meeting an enemy. Escape suggests encountering peril but coming through it safely: to escape drowning.

Example Sentences

The government has ordered prison governors to carry out new procedures to avoid a repeat of Kebatu's mistaken release.

Read more on BBC

But many Vietnamese industries use components imported from China, and have no clear definition for what Washington considers "transhipped" goods or what percentage of its parts must be locally produced to avoid higher taxes.

Read more on Barron's

The weather service is advising people to avoid leaving safe shelters during the storm, which has sustained winds of 160 miles an hour.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Importantly, setting up a trust would help your husband’s executor — that is, you — to avoid probate.

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Beyond getting preapproval, you can avoid a yo-yo scam by looking for words like “conditional” in the financing contract, according to Bankrate.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• avert 
• bypass 
• dodge 
• escape 
• evade 
• fend off www.thesaurus.com
• shun 
• sidestep 
• ward off