eschew
Americanverb (used with object)
-
eschews,
present (3rd person singular)
-
eschewed,
past participle, past
-
eschewing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
eschewsimple
-
eschewssimple
-
have eschewedperfect
-
has eschewedperfect
-
am eschewingprogressive
-
are eschewingprogressive
-
is eschewingprogressive
-
have been eschewingperfect progressive
-
has been eschewingperfect progressive
Past
-
eschewedsimple
-
had eschewedperfect
-
was eschewingprogressive
-
were eschewingprogressive
-
had been eschewingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of eschew
1300–50; Middle English eschewen < Old French eschiver, eschever < Germanic; compare Old High German sciuhen, German scheuchen, shy 2
Explanation
If you eschew something, you deliberately avoid it. If you love the hustle and bustle of a big city, then most likely you eschew the suburbs. Eschew comes from a word meaning "dread," or "shun." So to eschew something isn’t simply to avoid it, the way you would avoid walking in a puddle — it's stronger than that. You eschew things that you find morally or aesthetically wrong, or that you have chosen to find wrong. Some people eschew processed food and sugary drinks due to health reasons and others eschew using social media during work in order to stay focused.
Vocabulary lists containing eschew
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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:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to eschew suits for military-style clothing is driven by his desire to show solidarity for soldiers fighting the Russians.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
But we should eschew the temptation to treat Kirkmeyer like a reasonable person.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2026
To be sure, reducing reliance on U.S. debt doesn’t mean one can eschew U.S. assets completely.
From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026
While Europe’s reaction to Russia’s accusations was muted, Russia’s allies China and India urged Moscow to eschew intensifying the war and called for the continuation of negotiations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025
It was never wise for a ruler to eschew the trappings of power, for power itself flows in no small measure from such trappings.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
The cover of “Communion” eschews the grandeur of a Catholic cathedral, in favor of a photograph of a humble Methodist chapel in a rural part of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
Farrell eschews owning data centers, preferring AI-adjacent exposure through power generation, reasoning that markets underappreciate data centers’ high risk for technology obsolescence.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
Ellsworth eschews the idea that she has to strive for any elusive balance between being a mom and entrepreneur.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
Richards, a certified financial planner by day whose “Sketch Guy” column ran in the New York Times for 10 years, now even eschews numbers in his drawings.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026
I mean the fine healthiness of mind which eschews by instinct whatever is 'common or unclean'.
From The Transgression of Andrew Vane a novel by Guy Wetmore Carryl
Speaking about "my dot," Altman almost entirely eschewed referring to the tool as an agent, which has been in common use for years.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Weil is pursuing an ambitious expansion plan across practice areas, while Cravath has intentionally eschewed scale to remain a boutique firm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Cravath, which itself has struggled to retain talent, has intentionally eschewed scale even as many peers go global.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
SpaceX has eschewed the traditional IPO range, opting for a fixed $135 price, and it has allocated more stock than usual to Musk’s army of retail investors.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Zooey turned and looked at her, and—unpredictable young man—made a very dour face, as though he had suddenly eschewed any and all forms of levity.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
Anthropic has decided to keep its Claude chatbot ad-free, eschewing what has become a cash cow for OpenAI and other Big Tech companies.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Everyone indulged in prodigious scenery-chewing, eschewing any subtlety that Puccini built into this tear-jerking piece in favor of all-around bludgeoning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Droll and thoughtful, “Wonder Man” is Marvel’s most grounded offering yet, largely eschewing spectacle to focus on the insecurities of a guy who fears he’ll never get his big break.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Mr. Burnham likes to channel that sensibility, citing the rock icons as influences and projecting a modern sartorial everyman look; eschewing the shirt and tie for a crew neck T-shirt under a sharp suit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Not completely eschewing the values he was taught at 26 Markt.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
