avert
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to turn away or aside.
to avert one's eyes.
-
to ward off; prevent.
to avert evil;
to avert an accident.
verb
-
to turn away or aside
to avert one's gaze
-
to ward off; prevent from occurring
to avert danger
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
avertsimple
-
avertssimple
-
have avertedperfect
-
has avertedperfect
-
am avertingprogressive
-
are avertingprogressive
-
is avertingprogressive
-
have been avertingperfect progressive
-
has been avertingperfect progressive
Past
-
avertedsimple
-
had avertedperfect
-
was avertingprogressive
-
were avertingprogressive
-
had been avertingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of avert
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French avertir, ultimately derived from Latin āvertere, equivalent to ā- a- 4 + vertere “to turn”
Explanation
To avert is to turn away or to prevent. You might avert your gaze or avert a disaster — either way, you are avoiding something. The verb avert comes from Latin roots that mean "to turn away from." Averting has that sense of deflecting, turning away, or preventing something (usually bad) from happening. You might put salt on an icy sidewalk to avert accidents, or you might avert a toddler's meltdown by supplying a lollipop.
Vocabulary lists containing avert
Of Mice and Men
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Of Mice and Men"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
So little has been done to avert fossil fuel emissions for so long, said Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist with the research nonprofit Berkeley Earth, that there is little remaining choice.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
The answers may avert any potential bad blood between your mother and her siblings — or could make their blood boil.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
TfL branded the strikes as "disappointing" but said talks to avert a walkout were planned for Monday.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
Looking to avert those cuts, the council slowed police hiring just as recruitment was picking up steam.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
He saw the others in his group glance at him, embarrassed, and then avert their eyes quickly.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
That marks a drop of more than 30% from their May peak and likely averts the disaster commodity experts had warned about as one of the largest crude supply shortages in history began playing out.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
The deal is good because it averts an outcome that has become common: the conversion of a great studio into a diminished version of itself after being absorbed by a traditional rival.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
“We have found a good solution that averts a disproportionate burdening of agriculture — you know I always warned against that,” Özdemir said in a brief statement to reporters in Berlin.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 4, 2024
President Biden is scheduled to deliver a rare Oval Office address on Friday evening after congressional passage of legislation that narrowly averts the economic calamity of a first-ever default on the nation’s debt.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
She speaks matter-of-factly, but nevertheless she averts her gaze.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Had she done so a tragedy may have been averted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Compound that with domestic crises like a narrowly averted Samsung factory strike and an overall slowdown in non-tech industries, and things have become rather volatile on the peninsula.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
Crisis had been averted and a last-16 tie against either Ivory Coast or Norway awaits.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
None of the sovereign defaults over the past decade—among them Argentina, Ecuador, Ghana, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, and Venezuela—would have been averted by a debt pause.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Duane averted what might have been a terrible crash, but the thrilling ride didn’t slow down.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
On the NYSE, new 52-week highs outpaced new lows and numbered more than 100 again, so this buy signal is still in place — narrowly averting being stopped out.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
Jack Hendry was superb, averting danger more than once with his pace and reading of the game.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
Shares surged in Seoul, Tokyo and other Asian markets on Thursday, fuelled by hopes of a Middle East peace accord and by negotiations averting a planned strike at Samsung Electronics.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
Samsung Electronics management and union leaders reached a tentative bonus-pay agreement, averting a strike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
He ran a hand through his hair, averting his gaze.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
