Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense avoids, present participle avoiding, past tense, past participle avoided
1. verb
If you avoid something unpleasant that might happen, you take action in order to prevent it from happening.
The pilots had to take emergency action to avoid a disaster. [VERB noun]
She took a different route to work to avoid getting stuck in traffic. [VERB verb-ing]
Synonyms: prevent, stop, frustrate, hamper More Synonyms of avoid
2. verb
If you avoid doing something, you choose not to do it, or you put yourself in a situation where you do not have to do it.
Swann managed to avoid learning that lesson for a long time. [VERB verb-ing]
He was always careful to avoid embarrassment. [VERB noun]
3. verb
If you avoid a person or thing, you keep away from them. When talking to someone, if you avoid the subject, you keep the conversation away from a particular topic.
She eventually had to lock herself in the toilets to avoid him. [VERB noun]
All through lunch he had carefully avoided the subject of the house. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: elude, escape, ignore, hide from More Synonyms of avoid
4. verb
If a person or vehicle avoids someone or something, they change the direction they are moving in, so that theydo not hit them.
The driver had ample time to brake or swerve and avoid the woman. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: keep away from, dodge, shun, evade More Synonyms of avoid
5. to avoid someone or something like the plague
More Synonyms of avoid
avoid in British English
(əˈvɔɪd)
verb(transitive)
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
Derived forms
avoidable (aˈvoidable)
adjective
avoidably (aˈvoidably)
adverb
avoider (aˈvoider)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Anglo-French avoider, from Old French esvuidier, from vuidier to empty, void
avoid in American English
(əˈvɔɪd)
verb transitive
1.
to make void; annul, invalidate, or quash (a plea, etc. in law)
2.
to keep away from; evade; shun
to avoid crowds
3.
to keep from happening
to avoid breakage
4. Obsolete
to void; empty
5. Obsolete
to go away from; leave
SIMILAR WORDS: esˈcape
Derived forms
avoidable (aˈvoidable)
adjective
avoidably (aˈvoidably)
adverb
Word origin
ME avoiden < Anglo-Fr avoider < OFr esvuidier, to empty < es- (< L ex-), out + vuidier: see void
More idioms containing
avoid
avoid someone or something like the plague
Examples of 'avoid' in a sentence
avoid
Should we cancel our cover to avoid being hit by yet another rise?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is thought players will now have a curfew to return to the team hotel to avoid any future embarrassment.
The Sun (2016)
There are simple, practical steps we can take to avoid the muscle losses that can spell disaster for our waistline and our health.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
With 12 top tricks, declarer hoped to set up a long club to avoid having to take the heart finesse.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Jamaica looked as if it would avoid a direct hit as the storm tracked northeast, away from the island and closer to Haiti.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Our priority in terms of tax is avoiding those hitting people on lower and middle incomes.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Take outside to avoid damage to surfaces.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Two grand seems a snip to avoid such embarrassment.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The horse takes avoiding action of its own and clears the car.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The best option is to shop carefully to avoid the potential waste happening in the first place.
The Sun (2015)
But only if if they can avoid being hit by any further injuries to key players.
The Sun (2013)
Another potential disaster avoided by quick thinking on the part of a sharp destroyer captain.
Admiral Sandy Woodward, With Patrick Robinson ONE HUNDRED DAYS (2003)
He may have been killed when the driver swerved to avoid her.
The Sun (2009)
Lighting will be restricted to avoid heat damage to fabrics or wood.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
To avoid embarrassment an assistant would call his mobile phone as soon as he closed his eyes.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Opt for cheap veg such as carrots and potatoes and plan meals carefully to avoid unnecessary expense.
The Sun (2014)
Drivers can avoid a fine by turning off the route between cameras.
The Sun (2008)
For these two friends this was a comfortable way to avoid damage from probing sensitive insecurities.
Christianity Today (2000)
There may be attempts to persuade him to sacrifice this payment to avoid embarrassment.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It is important to structure investments carefully to avoid running out of cash.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Drivers also avoided the dreaded gridlock by leaving home earlier than normal.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
But targeting them precisely and avoiding damage to surrounding healthy tissue have proved stumbling blocks.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It was said to be guarded and under lock and key to avoid further embarrassment.
The Sun (2015)
He had been driving on a remote road and was said to have swerved to avoid hitting a sheep.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Just enough to avoid political disaster.
The Sun (2009)
Did she try and take any avoiding action, braking or steering?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
To avoid a disaster, eurozone governments may need to take a risk.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
avoid
British English: avoid /əˈvɔɪd/ VERB
If you avoid something unpleasant that might happen, you take action in order to prevent it from happening.
...emergency action to avoid a disaster.
American English: avoid
Arabic: يَتَجَنَّبُ
Brazilian Portuguese: evitar
Chinese: 避免
Croatian: izbjegavati
Czech: vyvarovat se
Danish: undgå
Dutch: vermijden
European Spanish: evitar
Finnish: välttää
French: éviter
German: vermeiden
Greek: αποφεύγω
Italian: evitare
Japanese: 避ける
Korean: 피하다
Norwegian: unngå
Polish: uniknąć
European Portuguese: evitar
Romanian: a evita
Russian: избегать
Latin American Spanish: evitar
Swedish: undvika
Thai: หลีกเลี่ยง
Turkish: kaçınmak
Ukrainian: уникати
Vietnamese: tránh
All related terms of 'avoid'
avoid jail
A jail is a place where criminals are kept in order to punish them, or where people waiting to be tried are kept.
avoid trouble
You can refer to problems or difficulties as trouble .
avoid conflict
Conflict is serious disagreement and argument about something important. If two people or groups are in conflict , they have had a serious disagreement or argument and have not yet reached agreement.
avoid bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is the state of being bankrupt .
avoid humiliation
Humiliation is the embarrassment and shame you feel when someone makes you appear stupid , or when you make a mistake in public.
avoid a situation
You use situation to refer generally to what is happening in a particular place at a particular time, or to refer to what is happening to you.
avoid disappointment
Disappointment is the state of feeling disappointed .
avoid someone or something like the plague
to deliberately avoid someone or something because you dislike them so much
to avoid someone or something like the plague
If you say that you avoid someone or something like the plague , you are emphasizing that you deliberately avoid them completely.
Chinese translation of 'avoid'
avoid
(əˈvɔɪd)
vt
(= dodge)[person, obstacle]避免 (bìmiǎn)
(= prevent)[trouble, danger]防止 (fángzhǐ)
(= evade, shun) 躲避 (duǒbì)
to avoid doing sth避免做某事 (bìmiǎn zuò mǒushì)
1 (verb)
Definition
to prevent from happening
She had to take emergency action to avoid a disaster.
Synonyms
prevent
We took steps to prevent it happening.
These methods prevent pregnancy.
stop
I think she really would have liked to stop everything right there.
frustrate
The government has deliberately frustrated his efforts.
hamper
I was hampered by a lack of information.
foil
A brave police chief foiled an armed robbery.
inhibit
buildings which inhibit the supply of light and air
head off
avert
A fresh tragedy was narrowly averted yesterday.
thwart
They were doing all they could to thwart the opposition.
intercept
They were intercepted on the way to the airport.
hinder
Landslides are continuing to hinder the arrival of relief supplies.
obstruct
Drivers who park illegally obstruct the flow of traffic.
impede
Fallen rocks are impeding the progress of rescue workers.
ward off
stave off
a desperate attempt to stave off defeat
forestall
They had done little to forestall the attack.
defend against
2 (verb)
Definition
to refrain from doing
He managed to avoid giving them an idea of what he was up to.
Synonyms
refrain from
bypass
dodge
Thieves dodged the security system in the shop.
eschew
He eschewed publicity and avoided nightclubs.
escape
He was lucky to escape serious injury.
duck (out of) (informal)
fight shy of
shirk from
3 (verb)
Definition
to keep out of the way of
She tried all sorts of ways to avoid him.
Synonyms
elude
The thieves managed to elude the police for months.
escape
ignore
hide from
keep away from
keep aloof from
Opposites
find
,
face
,
approach
,
contact
, invite,
pursue
,
confront
,
seek out
,
face up to
,
solicit
4 (verb)
Definition
to keep out of the way of
He had ample time to swerve and avoid the hedgehog.
Synonyms
keep away from
dodge
He has repeatedly dodged the question.
shun
From that time forward everybody shunned him.
evade
He managed to evade the police for six months.
steer clear of
sidestep
He was trying to sidestep responsibility.
circumvent (formal)
Military rulers tried to circumvent the treaty.
bypass
Regulators worry that controls could easily be bypassed.
slip through the net
body-swerve
give a wide berth to
Additional synonyms
in the sense of avert
Definition
to ward off
A fresh tragedy was narrowly averted yesterday.
Synonyms
ward off,
avoid,
prevent,
frustrate,
fend off,
preclude,
stave off,
forestall,
deflect
in the sense of bypass
Definition
to go around or avoid (a city, obstruction, problem, etc.)
Regulators worry that controls could easily be bypassed.