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

Indeed, after the 2008 financial crisis the worst effects of that period were avoided through such manipulation. — Therese Shaheen, National Review, "China’s ‘New Long March’," 5 June 2019 However, lawmakers largely avoided tackling the rising costs of debt service, pensions and health care that eat up more than 30 percent of state spending. — Martin Z. Braun, courant.com, "Connecticut budget gets mostly positive reviews from investors," 5 June 2019 Performance Investors should avoid jumping to conclusions — good or bad — about performance for target-date funds without putting it in proper context, says Holt. — Robert Powell, USA TODAY, "Retirement savings 101: Here are 7 things to know before investing in a target-date fund," 5 June 2019 The biggest causes contributing to crashes in 2018 included failing to reduce speed to avoid a crash, influencing 25 percent of the collisions. — Genevieve Bookwalter, chicagotribune.com, "Citing transparency efforts, Evanston police unveil crime data dashboard," 4 June 2019 At the time, House Republican Leader Carl Wilson, of Grants Pass, avoided answering questions from reporters for The Oregonian/OregonLive regarding his agreement with Kotek. — oregonlive.com, "Oregon House speaker: Republicans just wanted to be heard," 4 June 2019 Many thousands of migrants, often as a last resort to avoid deportation, have applied for visas or asylum in Mexico. — New York Times, "Mexico Cracks Down on Migrants, After Pressure From Trump to Act," 3 June 2019 Plus, the all black fit avoids bore with the use of various textures. — Tatum Dooley, Teen Vogue, "What Bella Hadid, Miley Cyrus and Rihanna Wore This Week," 31 May 2019 One of Game of Thrones’s biggest battles was avoiding leaks or spoilers. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "Five Takeaways From Game of Thrones’s Making-Of Documentary, The Last Watch," 27 May 2019

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

8 Jun 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