avoid

[uh-void]

See more synonyms for avoid on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to keep away from; keep clear of; shun: to avoid a person; to avoid taxes; to avoid danger.
to prevent from happening: to avoid falling.
Law. to make void or of no effect; invalidate.

Obsolete. to empty; eject or expel.

Origin of avoid

1250–30; Middle English avoiden < Anglo-French avoider, equivalent to a- a-⁴ + voider to void

Related formsa·void·a·ble, adjectivea·void·a·bly, adverba·void·er, nounnon·a·void·a·ble, adjectivenon·a·void·a·ble·ness, nounnon·a·void·a·bly, adverbun·a·void·ing, adjective

Can be confusedavoid evadeavoid ovoid

Synonym study

1. 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.

Synonyms for avoid

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1. evade, elude, dodge.

Antonyms for avoid

1. confront, face, encounter.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for avoid

dodge, avert, sidestep, evade, bypass, escape, shun, shy, jump, abstain, hide, shake, circumvent, divert, eschew, deflect, obviate, elude, desist, recoil

Examples from the Web for avoid

Contemporary Examples of avoid

There are reasons that European countries tend to avoid fluoride.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers
Michael Schulson
July 27, 2016
It is also important to avoid using the pope as part of a marketing strategy.
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 8, 2015
We try to avoid going away for too long, so we can check back in.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore
James Joiner
January 7, 2015
The pilot asked air-traffic control for permission to climb from 32,000 to 38,000 feet to avoid the bad weather.
Wreckage, Bodies of AirAsia Crash Found
Lennox Samuels
December 30, 2014
As a result, many plants and animals have evolved innovative ways to avoid inbreeding.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family
Helen Thompson
December 29, 2014

Historical Examples of avoid

He could not avoid contrasting this behaviour with his past preaching.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
"In truth, my father, I wished to avoid the pain of parting," rejoined Philæmon.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
He resolved to be as prudent as possible, and avoid, as far as he could, any altercation with Haley.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Avoid me—place yourself in the condition of my opponent, and beware.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
I shall at least avoid, by that means, the unsisterly insults I meet with from you.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for avoid

avoid

verb (tr)

to keep out of the way of
to refrain from doing
to prevent from happeningto avoid damage to machinery
law to make (a plea, contract, etc) void; invalidate; quash
obsolete to expel
obsolete to depart from

Derived Formsavoidable, adjectiveavoidably, adverbavoider, noun

Word Origin for avoid

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for avoid

c.1300, from Anglo-French avoider "to clear out, withdraw (oneself)," partially anglicized from Old French esvuidier "to empty out," from es- "out" (see ex-) + vuidier "to be empty," from voide "empty, vast, wide, hollow, waste" (see void (adj.)). Originally a law term; modern sense of "have nothing to do with" also was in Middle English and corresponds to Old French eviter with which it was perhaps confused. Meaning "escape, evade" first attested 1520s. Related: Avoided; avoiding.