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. )

Explanation

If you avoid drinking coffee right before bed because it tends to keep you awake and makes you jittery, that means that you stay away from coffee at night. The verb avoid means to stop yourself from doing something or to keep something from happening. You might avoid the old lady next door who smells funny and always wants to pinch your cheek, or you could avoid a certain dangerous neighborhood in your city by taking a different route when you're walking home. It's easy to get avoid confused with a similar word, evade, which means "to avoid in a particularly tricky or sneaky way."

Example Sentences

Avoid a rattlesnake, as they try to avoid you, by staying on a designated trail and being aware of where you’re stepping.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Among the suggestions: Avoid highway rest stops if you can and get a room away from the elevator.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Avoid putting off Medicaid applications until the 11th hour, making cash gifts that exceed tax-free limits and/or transferring property without fully understanding Medicaid rules; and failing to consider irrevocable trusts or other sound legal strategies.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Avoid ultra-lean blends; they bake up tight and crumbly, the culinary equivalent of overcorrecting.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

Avoid it unless the meaning is clear. enervating.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Related Words

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