avoid

American  

[uh-void] / əˈvɔɪd /

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.

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avoid British  

/ 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

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Related Words

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 Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of avoid

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

Example Sentences

GM last year managed to avoid some of the worst-case tariff scenarios.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nonetheless, the U.A.E., like the rest of the Gulf region, had long tried to avoid defining itself as a combatant.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fixing the problem will require the types of trade-offs elected officials have spent years avoiding.

From Barron's

Stocks have taken a hit, with only the S&P 500 among the four main U.S. equity indexes avoiding a correction in March, defined by a drop of at least 10% from a recent peak.

From MarketWatch

The Labor Department intends to help employers avoid lawsuits stemming from the alternative investments they offer employees in retirement plans.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• avert
• bypass
• dodge
• escape
• evade
• fend off
• shun
• sidestep