avert
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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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
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has been avertingperfect progressive
Past
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avertedsimple
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had avertedperfect
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was avertingprogressive
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were avertingprogressive
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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.
The answers may avert any potential bad blood between your mother and her siblings — or could make their blood boil.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026
Looking to avert those cuts, the council slowed police hiring just as recruitment was picking up steam.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
Local officials are convening experts from around the country to avert a leak or explosion.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026
Samsung labour union members will begin voting Friday on a tentative wage deal that could deliver hefty bonuses to chip workers and helped avert a major strike at the South Korean tech giant this week.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
I’m about to avert my eyes when I remember my talk with Sandra this morning.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
