steer clear of

Idioms  

1. Stay away from, avoid, as in Dad warned us to steer clear of Dr. Smith and his poor advice. This idiom alludes to guiding a vessel away from some obstacle. Its figurative use was first recorded in 1723.

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Example Sentences

Policymakers must steer clear of the affordability mirage and the losing strategy of micromanagement that misallocates national resources, and strive to establish a stable macro framework that is the best foundation for sustainable economic growth and prosperity.

From Barron's

The Catholic Church's Episcopal Conference, for its part, called for "respect, non-interference, and the protection of people in their beliefs" and urged politicians to steer clear of "theological" statements.

From Barron's

Allegiant and Sun Country have been able to steer clear of some of the difficulties that have plagued the low-cost end of the airline industry.

From The Wall Street Journal

The guidelines advise people to steer clear of packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat or other foods with added sugars and salt—say, sugary cereal and frozen pizza.

From The Wall Street Journal

And after several years of incredible gains for shares of dominant chip makers amid the boom in generative artificial intelligence, it might be best to steer clear of competition at the top — and focus more on companies that provide essential equipment and services to semiconductor manufacturers.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• baffle
• confound
• dodge
• evade
• flee
• foil
• frustrate
• outrun
• outwit
• puzzle
• shun
• stall
• stonewall
• thwart