avert
Americanverb (used with object)
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averts,
present (3rd person singular)
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averted,
past participle, past
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averting
present participle
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to turn away or aside.
to avert one's eyes.
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to ward off; prevent.
to avert evil;
to avert an accident.
verb
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to turn away or aside
to avert one's gaze
-
to ward off; prevent from occurring
to avert danger
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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avertsimple
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avertssimple
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have avertedperfect
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has avertedperfect
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am avertingprogressive
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are avertingprogressive
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is avertingprogressive
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have been avertingperfect progressive
-
has been avertingperfect progressive
Past
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avertedsimple
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had avertedperfect
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was avertingprogressive
-
were avertingprogressive
-
had been avertingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of avert
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French avertir, ultimately derived from Latin āvertere, equivalent to ā- a- 4 + vertere “to turn”
Explanation
To avert is to turn away or to prevent. You might avert your gaze or avert a disaster — either way, you are avoiding something. The verb avert comes from Latin roots that mean "to turn away from." Averting has that sense of deflecting, turning away, or preventing something (usually bad) from happening. You might put salt on an icy sidewalk to avert accidents, or you might avert a toddler's meltdown by supplying a lollipop.
Vocabulary lists containing avert
Of Mice and Men
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 2
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"Of Mice and Men"
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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:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his actions helped save hundreds of lives and avert "a great tragedy".
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
"Having done everything I could to avert it, I gave myself over to that fate," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
One argument against worrying about superintelligent AI is that the world is full of unlikely humanity-ending disasters, and trying to avert them all can make it impossible to prioritize, says Canal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
To avert future calamities, the forest outside Bordeaux must be thinned and its fire breaks widened, said Arthur Guérin-Turcq, a Sorbonne University geographer whose family cultivates pines near Le Porge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
They avert their eyes when Maxine accidentally leans over to run her hand through his hair.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
But for now, there’s a plan that averts shutdown impacts at the IRS.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 2, 2026
The deal is good because it averts an outcome that has become common: the conversion of a great studio into a diminished version of itself after being absorbed by a traditional rival.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
“We have found a good solution that averts a disproportionate burdening of agriculture — you know I always warned against that,” Özdemir said in a brief statement to reporters in Berlin.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 4, 2024
It also averts the threat of a major disruption to popular events expected to draw thousands of visitors to the tourist-driven economy of Las Vegas.
From Reuters ● Nov. 10, 2023
She speaks matter-of-factly, but nevertheless she averts her gaze.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
That has led to higher prices for jet fuel, just a few months after global airlines, U.S. carriers included, averted a major fuel crisis that had threatened their all-important summer travel season.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
As a result of its new approach, the EPA no longer estimates the number of lives saved or diseases and hospitalizations averted.
From Slate ● Aug. 2, 2026
Had she done so a tragedy may have been averted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Although financial collapse was averted, the troubles that contributed to the receivership were exacerbated over the years by leadership instability — with 11 appointed leaders over an 11-year span.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
She averted her eyes from the Nurturing Center.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier credited Machchhar, as well as the flight's passengers, with averting catastrophe.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
On the NYSE, new 52-week highs outpaced new lows and numbered more than 100 again, so this buy signal is still in place — narrowly averting being stopped out.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
California politicians and power executives were hyperfocused on averting the need for more blackouts, then took many months to figure out how to stabilize the market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Two 24-hour strikes by London Underground drivers will go ahead on Tuesday and Thursday, as talks aimed at averting the action have broken down, the BBC understands.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
“I only lie when it’s necessary,” Milo explained defensively, averting his eyes for a moment and blinking his lashes winningly.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
