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
But Stanton and Ansari also held out for a funding plan that reverses GOP legislation that is expected to begin cutting access to Medicaid services in 2027, and want to avert the loss of insurance subsidies for lower-income Americans starting in January.
—Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Schumer in March voted with Republicans to avert a government shutdown, sparking strong backlash from his party.
—Erin Doherty, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2025
Lawmakers have until October 1 to either pass a full bill or approve a continuing resolution that would avert a government shutdown.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The universal vaccine recommendation that was in place in this scenario was projected to reduce hospitalizations by 11% and deaths by 13% – essentially averting 104,000 hospitalizations and 9,000 deaths.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avert
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Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Schumer in March voted with Republicans to avert a government shutdown, sparking strong backlash from his party.
—Erin Doherty, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2025
Lawmakers have until October 1 to either pass a full bill or approve a continuing resolution that would avert a government shutdown.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The universal vaccine recommendation that was in place in this scenario was projected to reduce hospitalizations by 11% and deaths by 13% – essentially averting 104,000 hospitalizations and 9,000 deaths.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 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 29 Sep. 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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