Synonyms

eschew

American

[es-choo] / ɛsˈtʃu /

verb (used with object)

to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid.

to eschew evil.

Synonyms:

forgo, boycott, circumvent

eschew British

/ ɪsˈtʃuː /

verb

(tr) to keep clear of or abstain from (something disliked, injurious, etc); shun; avoid

"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

Other Word Forms

eschewal noun
eschewer noun
uneschewed adjective

Etymology

Origin of eschew

1300–50; Middle English eschewen < Old French eschiver, eschever < Germanic; compare Old High German sciuhen, German scheuchen, shy ²

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.

Definition: Going for it on fourth down while eschewing a 95% likelihood of a made field goal early in the game, all while demonstrating no confidence in your defense.

From Los Angeles Times

Netflix has traditionally eschewed theatrical releases for its films entirely, or opted for shorter exclusivity windows of just a few weeks to allow its productions to be eligible for award consideration.

From MarketWatch

Some of the most popular and prestigious colleges in California have so far eschewed AI in admission evaluations.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet he has at times eschewed the advice of his doctors and scoffed at the medical community’s widely accepted health recommendations, relying instead on what he calls his “good genetics.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023