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
Trump also endorsed a Senate deal on government funding that would help avert a shutdown of federal services, according to Reuters.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
The Senate failed to advance a measure designed to avert another government shutdown.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Negotiations to avert a partial government shutdown are being complicated by Democratic demands that any changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy be written into law by Congress.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 28 Jan. 2026
The hope is that the institutional reforms started by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus deliver the necessary checks and balances to avert another lurch toward despotism.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for avert
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Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
The Senate failed to advance a measure designed to avert another government shutdown.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Negotiations to avert a partial government shutdown are being complicated by Democratic demands that any changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy be written into law by Congress.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 28 Jan. 2026
The hope is that the institutional reforms started by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus deliver the necessary checks and balances to avert another lurch toward despotism.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 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 30 Jan. 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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