avert
Americanverb (used with object)
-
averts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
averted,
past participle, past
-
averting
present participle
-
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:
But, much like a car accident on the 405 that you instinctively know you shouldn’t stare, I just can’t seem to avert my eyes from the wreck the Chargers have become.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
Indian pilot Smit Machchhar was hailed as a "hero" on Thursday after fighting to retain control of a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight when his co-pilot allegedly attacked him, leaving him wounded but helping avert disaster.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Thenceforth, animal diseases once thought inevitable due to bad air would be treated with medical measures and quarantines to avert contagion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
US forces have seemingly been able to facilitate a sufficient trickle through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days to avert an oil-price shock or a global economic collapse.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
He began to glow, and I knew enough about the gods to avert my eyes before he revealed his true divine form.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
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
It also averts the threat of a major disruption to popular events expected to draw thousands of visitors to the tourist-driven economy of Las Vegas.
From Reuters ● Nov. 10, 2023
And even if China averts a full-scale crisis, long-term growth will be sharply constrained by a working-age population that will fall by nearly a quarter by 2050.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2023
Mrs. Koster averts her eyes, staring down at the new wedding band on her finger, and I have a new, ugly suspicion.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
That has led to higher prices for jet fuel, just a few months after global airlines, U.S. carriers included, averted a major fuel crisis that had threatened their all-important summer travel season.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
The call that might have averted disaster came into William Mulholland’s office that morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
As a result of its new approach, the EPA no longer estimates the number of lives saved or diseases and hospitalizations averted.
From Slate ● Aug. 2, 2026
Had she done so a tragedy may have been averted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Now he averted his eyes, and nodded shamefacedly.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier also credited Machchhar, as well as the flight's passengers, with averting catastrophe.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Meta and the other companies settled with a Kentucky school district, averting a trial slated for June.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
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
Two 24-hour strikes by London Underground drivers will go ahead on Tuesday and Thursday, as talks aimed at averting the action have broken down, the BBC understands.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
You can see faint stars and other objects by averting your vision slightly.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
