eschew
Americanverb (used with object)
-
eschews,
present (3rd person singular)
-
eschewed,
past participle, past
-
eschewing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
eschewsimple
-
eschewssimple
-
have eschewedperfect
-
has eschewedperfect
-
am eschewingprogressive
-
are eschewingprogressive
-
is eschewingprogressive
-
have been eschewingperfect progressive
-
has been eschewingperfect progressive
Past
-
eschewedsimple
-
had eschewedperfect
-
was eschewingprogressive
-
were eschewingprogressive
-
had been eschewingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of eschew
1300–50; Middle English eschewen < Old French eschiver, eschever < Germanic; compare Old High German sciuhen, German scheuchen, shy 2
Explanation
If you eschew something, you deliberately avoid it. If you love the hustle and bustle of a big city, then most likely you eschew the suburbs. Eschew comes from a word meaning "dread," or "shun." So to eschew something isn’t simply to avoid it, the way you would avoid walking in a puddle — it's stronger than that. You eschew things that you find morally or aesthetically wrong, or that you have chosen to find wrong. Some people eschew processed food and sugary drinks due to health reasons and others eschew using social media during work in order to stay focused.
Vocabulary lists containing eschew
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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.
See Examples For:
When Newsom was elected governor, she announced she would eschew the traditional title of “first lady.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
But we should eschew the temptation to treat Kirkmeyer like a reasonable person.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2026
Beijing is often thought to eschew rash decision-making and prioritise patience and gradual gains to secure long-term outcomes.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
Like other Chinese chatbots, DeepSeek's AI tools eschew topics usually censored in the world's second-largest economy, such as the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
I was uninjured, and since pride is a Deadly Sin which I feel I generally eschew, absolutely nothing was hurt.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
“NAZA” eschews probing for guilty feelings, though, because the point is to unearth a process of obliteration: how it works and what it looks like as implemented by the willing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Released by independent Angel Studios, known as a faith-based operation that eschews traditional Hollywood approaches, the film features stars Ben Kingsley, Andy Serkis and Mary-Louise Parker and showcases William Franklyn-Mille as Washington.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
The cover of “Communion” eschews the grandeur of a Catholic cathedral, in favor of a photograph of a humble Methodist chapel in a rural part of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
Meanwhile, Carvana eschews traditional dealer tactics like commissioned salespeople, price haggling and profitable documentation fees tacked onto the transaction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
It eschews unwieldy compounds, and makes no attempt to acquire an archaic flavor.
From The Translations of Beowulf A Critical Bibliography by Chauncey Brewster Tinker
Speaking about "my dot," Altman almost entirely eschewed referring to the tool as an agent, which has been in common use for years.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
When Phoebe Novack and Brian Aggrey married in 2023, they eschewed a traditional registry for household luxuries or a modern honeymoon fund.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
SpaceX has eschewed the traditional IPO range, opting for a fixed $135 price, and it has allocated more stock than usual to Musk’s army of retail investors.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
He has eschewed services like Spotify and Apple Music, in part because they don’t sell music.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
Langley liked to think of itself as a place that eschewed bureaucracy, where an idea from a cafeteria worker could get a fair hearing if it were compelling enough.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Anthropic has decided to keep its Claude chatbot ad-free, eschewing what has become a cash cow for OpenAI and other Big Tech companies.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Droll and thoughtful, “Wonder Man” is Marvel’s most grounded offering yet, largely eschewing spectacle to focus on the insecurities of a guy who fears he’ll never get his big break.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Musk offered investors a “take-it-or-leave-it” price of $135 a share, eschewing the usual approach of providing a price range and refining it based on investor feedback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Some drivers are squeezing more miles out of their vehicles and eschewing new rides because of sticker shock, high interest rates and economic jitters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Henceforth, if one aspired to be considered a member of the Himalayan elite, eschewing bottled oxygen was mandatory.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
