avoid

[ uh-void ]
/ əˈvɔɪd /
SEE 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.

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Origin of avoid

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

synonym study for avoid

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM avoid

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH avoid

avoid evadeavoid ovoid

Words nearby avoid

avodire, avogadro, avogadro's constant, avogadro's law, avogadro's number, avoid, avoid like the plague, avoidance, avoidance play, avoidant, avoidant personality
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Content related to avoid

What Are The Best Synonyms For “Avoid”?Avoiding things is an integral part of life, and knowing different ways to say "avoid" can only benefit us as a species.
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What Are The Best Synonyms For “Avoid”?Avoiding things is an integral part of life, and knowing different ways to say "avoid" can only benefit us as a species.
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Words related to avoid

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

Example sentences from the Web for avoid

British Dictionary definitions for avoid

avoid
/ (əˈvɔɪd) /

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 forms of avoid

avoidable, 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