Synonyms

eschew

American

[es-choo] / ɛsˈtʃu /

verb (used with object)

to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid.

to eschew evil.

Synonyms:

forgo, boycott, circumvent

eschew British

/ ɪsˈtʃuː /

verb

(tr) to keep clear of or abstain from (something disliked, injurious, etc); shun; avoid

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

eschewal noun
eschewer noun
uneschewed adjective

Etymology

Origin of eschew

1300–50; Middle English eschewen < Old French eschiver, eschever < Germanic; compare Old High German sciuhen, German scheuchen, shy ²

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.

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

But for investors, political fallout is not so easy to eschew.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 28, 2025

But more pernicious are all the local design guidelines that eschew sophisticated sun-path analyses for simple street width–to–building height ratios, regardless of where the sun is.

From Slate • Jul. 23, 2025

I was uninjured, and since pride is a Deadly Sin which I feel I generally eschew, absolutely nothing was hurt.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023