averted; averting; averts
1
: to turn away or aside (the eyes, one's gaze, etc.) in avoidance
I found the sight so grotesque that I had to avert my eyes …—
John Gregory Dunne
John Gregory Dunne2
: to see coming and ward off : avoid
avert disaster
Examples of avert in a Sentence
He sped up and averted an accident.
The diplomatic talks narrowly averted a war.
an attempt to avert a strike at the plant
Recent Examples on the Web
China has agreed to allow the export of chips critical to auto production, averting widespread shutdowns that had been predicted by the industry.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Today’s agreement, struck on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea, averts another escalation of tensions between the world’s two great powers.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
In Congress, lawmakers from both parties have introduced measures to avert future disruptions.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
The energy transition is losing steam, two new reports conclude, shifting the conversation likely to dominate the upcoming COP30 summit from how to avert climate change, to how to survive it.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avert
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Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Today’s agreement, struck on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea, averts another escalation of tensions between the world’s two great powers.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
In Congress, lawmakers from both parties have introduced measures to avert future disruptions.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
The energy transition is losing steam, two new reports conclude, shifting the conversation likely to dominate the upcoming COP30 summit from how to avert climate change, to how to survive it.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avert
Cite this Entry
“Avert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avert. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
avert
verb1
: to turn away
avert one's eyes
2
: to keep from happening
averted an accident
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