avert
Americanverb (used with object)
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averts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
averted,
past participle, past
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averting
present participle
-
to turn away or aside.
to avert one's eyes.
-
to ward off; prevent.
to avert evil;
to avert an accident.
verb
-
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
-
is avertingprogressive
-
have been avertingperfect progressive
-
has been avertingperfect progressive
Past
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avertedsimple
-
had avertedperfect
-
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:
Thankfully, the same capacity for collaboration that assisted our species’ development throughout history could now avert this catastrophe.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
But, much like a car accident on the 405 that you instinctively know you shouldn’t stare, I just can’t seem to avert my eyes from the wreck the Chargers have become.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
Indian pilot Smit Machchhar was hailed as a "hero" on Thursday after fighting to retain control of a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight when his co-pilot allegedly attacked him, leaving him wounded but helping avert disaster.
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
It was her fate always to know the disaster that was coming and be unable to avert it.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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
The law also averts a previous patchwork of state laws and regulations that govern HFCs.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 11, 2023
President Biden is scheduled to deliver a rare Oval Office address on Friday evening after congressional passage of legislation that narrowly averts the economic calamity of a first-ever default on the nation’s debt.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
He averts his eyes, but tightens his grip around my back.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Tinubu has said the reforms averted an even greater crisis as the subsidy grew fiscally unsustainable.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
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
He averted his eyes and leaned down to scratch an imaginary bug bite on his leg.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
Sullenberger's quick thinking and calm demeanour were credited with averting disaster.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The boom has also fuelled worker demands over pay packages, with Samsung averting a major strike in May by agreeing a deal on bonuses with its largest union.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 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
SoFi Stadium hospitality workers reached a deal, averting a potential World Cup strike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
As the offspring of traitors, his one chance at redemption—and his only way of averting starvation—was hard work.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
