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
Murphy expressed particular alarm over his party’s tactics after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) opted to avert a government shutdown this spring.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 18 May 2025
The city plans to avert further layoffs by transferring employees to the proprietary departments, like the harbor, the airport and perhaps the Department of Water & Power.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2025
The man stopped his vehicle suddenly to avert a collision.
—Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
On Thursday, both sides met again for 11th-hour negotiations to avert the strike, in addition to a meeting in Washington, D.C. Monday with the National Mediation Board, but no resolution was reached.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for avert
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Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 18 May 2025
The city plans to avert further layoffs by transferring employees to the proprietary departments, like the harbor, the airport and perhaps the Department of Water & Power.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2025
The man stopped his vehicle suddenly to avert a collision.
—Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
On Thursday, both sides met again for 11th-hour negotiations to avert the strike, in addition to a meeting in Washington, D.C. Monday with the National Mediation Board, but no resolution was reached.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 15 May 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 21 May. 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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