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
Synonyms
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
This is admirable, but aren’t there other, more historically significant global disasters that could be averted by the same strategy?
—Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023
Tensions remain high, with violence breaking out twice in recent months, and Western countries fear that Russia could try to foment trouble in the Balkans to avert attention from the war in Ukraine.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 23 Nov. 2023
That theme plays out strongly in scenes of citizens hurriedly gathering to discuss plans to avert annihilation.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
Many Israelis have preferred to avert their gaze from the rage at their doorstep.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2023
The Fifth National Climate Change Assessment, released last week by the White House, underscored that every fraction of a degree of warming added or averted will make a difference.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
The bill that could avert a government shutdown heads to the Senate.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2023
Often, many crises could have been mitigated or at least minimized in scale if communicators, within their organizations, were motivated to work on policies that could have averted or contained these crises.
—Xavier Prabhu, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
The test is whether collisions can be averted, and whether those that occur can be managed more successfully than the months-long spat over the spy balloon — not whether the two countries agree to share symphony orchestras or pandas.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
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Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023
Tensions remain high, with violence breaking out twice in recent months, and Western countries fear that Russia could try to foment trouble in the Balkans to avert attention from the war in Ukraine.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 23 Nov. 2023
That theme plays out strongly in scenes of citizens hurriedly gathering to discuss plans to avert annihilation.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
Many Israelis have preferred to avert their gaze from the rage at their doorstep.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2023
The Fifth National Climate Change Assessment, released last week by the White House, underscored that every fraction of a degree of warming added or averted will make a difference.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
The bill that could avert a government shutdown heads to the Senate.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2023
Often, many crises could have been mitigated or at least minimized in scale if communicators, within their organizations, were motivated to work on policies that could have averted or contained these crises.
—Xavier Prabhu, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
The test is whether collisions can be averted, and whether those that occur can be managed more successfully than the months-long spat over the spy balloon — not whether the two countries agree to share symphony orchestras or pandas.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'avert.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing avert
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Cite this Entry
“Avert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avert. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
avert
verb1
: to turn away
avert one's eyes
2
: to keep from happening
averted an accident
More from Merriam-Webster on avert
Nglish: Translation of avert for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of avert for Arabic Speakers
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