avoid

verb

\ ə-ˈvȯid

avoided; avoiding; avoids

Definition of avoid

transitive verb

1a : to keep away from : shun They have been avoiding me.

b : to prevent the occurrence or effectiveness of avoid further delays

c : to refrain from avoid overeating

2 law : to make legally void (see void entry 1 sense 1a) : annul avoid a plea

3 archaic : to depart or withdraw from : leave

4 obsolete : void, expel

Other Words from avoid Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about avoid

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Other Words from avoid

avoidable \ -ˈvȯi-də-bəl

\ adjective

avoidably \ -blē

\ adverb

avoider noun

Choose the Right Synonym for avoid

escape, avoid, evade, elude, shun, eschew mean to get away or keep away from something. escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent. nothing escapes her sharp eyes avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty. try to avoid past errors evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding. evaded the question by changing the subject elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes. what she sees in him eludes me shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence. you have shunned your responsibilities eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful. a playwright who eschews melodrama

Examples of avoid in a Sentence

Why do you keep avoiding me? She took a detour to avoid the heavy traffic. They successfully avoided each other for days. He tried hard to avoid accidents. We need to avoid further delays. He was caught trying to avoid arrest. in an effort to avoid confusion I'm not going to be late if I can avoid it. How can I avoid paying too much tax? I am trying to avoid showing any hint of favoritism.

Recent Examples on the Web

To avoid running over, some companies use a countdown clock. — Steven G. Rogelberg, WSJ, "The Science of Better Meetings," 15 Feb. 2019 In a blog post published after this post went live, Copay officials said versions 5.0.2 through 5.1.0 were affected by the backdoor and that users with these versions installed should avoid running the app until after installing version 5.2.0. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "Widely used open source software contained bitcoin-stealing backdoor," 26 Nov. 2018 Republicans were desperate to avoid another bruising shutdown. — Andrew Taylor, The Seattle Times, "Congressional lawmakers reach deal on border wall funding," 11 Feb. 2019 Brianna ends up asking John to marry her as a way of avoiding being proposed to by a total stranger, which—actually, scratch that. — Mehera Bonner, Harper's BAZAAR, "Bree Just Got Engaged to Someone Who Is Not Roger on Outlander," 14 Jan. 2019 As things stand, Congress still needs to pass seven spending bills, including the contentious Homeland Security appropriations bill, which governs funding for border security and a potential wall, to avoid a shutdown. — Li Zhou, Vox, "What’s open — and closed — during a partial government shutdown," 21 Dec. 2018 Which is why Bland says thinking ahead and having a prepared answer at the ready is crucial to avoiding any awkward situations. — Ashley Edwards Walker, Good Housekeeping, "How to Navigate the Holidays When There’s an Estrangement in Your Family," 21 Dec. 2018 And, pro tip: Save space by avoiding a media console. — Danielle Tullo, House Beautiful, "How Jenny Cipoletti Of Margo & Me Turned Her Apartment Into A Parisian Escape," 20 Nov. 2018 The other trick to avoiding the flood waters completely is keeping track of the tides. — Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Make the Most of Venice When it Floods," 2 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'avoid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near avoid

avoid (someone or something) like the plague

Statistics for avoid

Last Updated

2 Mar 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for avoid

The first known use of avoid was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for avoid

avoid

verb

English Language Learners Definition of avoid

: to stay away from (someone or something)

: to prevent the occurrence of (something bad, unpleasant, etc.)

: to keep yourself from doing (something) or participating in (something)

See the full definition for avoid in the English Language Learners Dictionary

avoid

verb

\ ə-ˈvȯid

avoided; avoiding

Kids Definition of avoid

1 : to keep away from Are you avoiding me?

2 : to keep from happening avoid mistakes

3 : to keep from doing or being Brian turned back to avoid embarrassing the pilot …— Gary Paulsen, Hatchet

avoid

transitive verb

Legal Definition of avoid

1 : to make void or undo : annul the trustee may avoid any transfer of interest of the debtor in property — U.S. Code

2 : to respond to (an allegation or averment) by declaring that facts alleged do not result in liability averments in a pleading to which no responsive pleading is required or permitted shall be taken as denied or avoided — U.S. Code — see also confession and avoidance — compare deny

3 : to prevent the occurrence of or responsibility for especially through lawful means avoid a tax — compare evade