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
Crisis averted, Tommy agrees to stay at Ludlow.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
Sean Kuraly scored a short-handed goal in the final minute to avert the Bruins' first shoutout of the season.
—ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
The attempt went wide right, however, temporarily averting disaster.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
The latest domino to fall is Spirit Airlines, which is on the brink of collapse with no good options to avert it.
—Elaine Parker, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for avert
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Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
Sean Kuraly scored a short-handed goal in the final minute to avert the Bruins' first shoutout of the season.
—ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
The attempt went wide right, however, temporarily averting disaster.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
The latest domino to fall is Spirit Airlines, which is on the brink of collapse with no good options to avert it.
—Elaine Parker, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
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 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
avert
verb1
: to turn away
avert one's eyes
2
: to keep from happening
averted an accident
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