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
Among several actions taken later that cited the energy emergency was an order to the Department of Energy to develop a process to keep unprofitable coal plants operational in order to avert power outages.
—Karen Yourish, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
Oil revenue streams are constrained, and ongoing diplomatic negotiations with European powers and the IAEA will determine whether Tehran can avert further punishment, leaving the country in a tense and high-stakes standoff with the international community.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
To avert a high-stakes trial, the right-wing cable channel has agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $27 million this month and another $40 million in the next two years.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2025
What sets Berkshire apart from others is its buy-and-hold long-term approach, which could work to its advantage as UnitedHealth seeks to avert its crisis and regain public trust, according to George Hill, a healthcare analyst at Deutsche Bank.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avert
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Karen Yourish, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
Oil revenue streams are constrained, and ongoing diplomatic negotiations with European powers and the IAEA will determine whether Tehran can avert further punishment, leaving the country in a tense and high-stakes standoff with the international community.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
To avert a high-stakes trial, the right-wing cable channel has agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $27 million this month and another $40 million in the next two years.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2025
What sets Berkshire apart from others is its buy-and-hold long-term approach, which could work to its advantage as UnitedHealth seeks to avert its crisis and regain public trust, according to George Hill, a healthcare analyst at Deutsche Bank.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 15 Aug. 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 28 Aug. 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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