avoid

American  

[uh-void] / əˈvɔɪd /

verb (used with object)

1. to keep away from; keep clear of; shun.

   to avoid a person;

   to avoid taxes;

   to avoid danger.

   Synonyms:

   dodge , elude , evade

   Antonyms:

   encounter , face , confront

2. to prevent from happening.

   to avoid falling.

3. Law.  to make void or of no effect; invalidate.

4. Obsolete.  to empty; eject or expel.

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avoid British  

/ əˈvɔɪd /

verb

1. to keep out of the way of

2. to refrain from doing

3. to prevent from happening

   to avoid damage to machinery

4. law to make (a plea, contract, etc) void; invalidate; quash

5. obsolete  to expel

6. obsolete  to depart from

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Related Words

Avoid, escape mean to come through a potentially harmful or unpleasant experience, without suffering serious consequences. To avoid is to succeed in keeping away from something dangerous or undesirable: to avoid meeting an enemy. Escape suggests encountering peril but coming through it safely: to escape drowning.

Other Word Forms

• avoidable adjective
• avoidably adverb
• avoider noun
• nonavoidable adjective
• nonavoidableness noun
• nonavoidably adverb
• unavoiding adjective

Etymology

Origin of avoid

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English avoiden, from Anglo-French avoider, equivalent to a- ⁴ ( def. ) + void ( def. )

Example Sentences

At my dad’s exit interview, his counselor advised him to keep Carville a secret so he could avoid the stigma it carried and focus on his life ahead.

From Salon

With the government shutdown impacting demand at the start of the quarter, the sector needs strong Thanksgiving and Christmas travel to avoid further turbulence.

From Barron's

But, last year, Khartoum turned down a proposal to set up a naval base controlled by Tehran to avoid alienating the U.S. and Israel, according to Sudanese officials.

From The Wall Street Journal

It should also have a real interest rate, payment schedule, and be structured to avoid Medicaid problems.

From MarketWatch

There is a black market and to be safe people should avoid buying from unregulated sellers such as beauty salons or via social media.

From BBC

Related Words

• avert
• bypass
• dodge
• escape
• evade
• fend off
• shun
• sidestep