Synonym Chooser

How does the verb avoid contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of avoid are elude, escape, eschew, evade, and shun. While all these words mean "to get away or keep away from something," avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

When might elude be a better fit than avoid?

While the synonyms elude and avoid are close in meaning, elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

When is it sensible to use escape instead of avoid?

The words escape and avoid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

In what contexts can eschew take the place of avoid?

The words eschew and avoid can be used in similar contexts, but eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

When can evade be used instead of avoid?

In some situations, the words evade and avoid are roughly equivalent. However, evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

Where would shun be a reasonable alternative to avoid?

While in some cases nearly identical to avoid, shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of avoid But it was avoided at that time with a mix of strong economic growth, disinflation and a robust labor market encouraged by the Federal Reserve, Daco said. Lorie Konish, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2025 Live-ball turnovers are the equivalent of a battlefield ambush—Milwaukee must avoid them at all costs. Brian Sampson, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025 The Razorbacks are looking to avoid their first SEC series loss at home since 2022. Matt Jones, Arkansas Online, 18 Apr. 2025 Just be sure to clean them after each use to avoid spreading any germs. Iman Balagam, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for avoid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avoid
Verb
  • Security scrutinized: Suspect eluded officers protecting Shapiro Balmer started fires while troopers searched Troopers were able to safely evacuate Shapiro's family and others in the mansion, but the fire raises the question of how Balmer was able to evade security.
    John Bacon, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
  • Most of these are fine goals, and some (such as finally terminating the university’s efforts to evade a Supreme Court–ordered end to its use of race discrimination in admissions) ought to be uncontroversial.
    The Editors, National Review, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • France belatedly abolished slavery in 1848 in its remaining colonies of Martinique, Guadeloupe, Réunion and French Guyana, which are still territories of France today.
    Marlene L. Daut, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2025
  • The Legislature eliminated parole for nearly everyone imprisoned for crimes committed after Aug. 1, making Louisiana the 17th state in a half-century to abolish parole altogether and the first in 24 years to do so.
    Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2025
  • No one was harmed during the incident, and the suspect escaped.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Trump skipped three times during his last presidency (the 2020 affair was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic).
    Jay Stahl, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Organizers and the Kennedy Center have canceled a week’s worth of events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights for this summer’s World Pride festival in Washington amid a shift in priorities and the ousting of leadership at one of the nation’s premier cultural institutions.
    Ashraf Khalil, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • To prevent mold, be cautious when storing homemade bread.
    Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Perhaps more important, though, is doing your best to prevent those flares in the first place.
    Sierra Leone Starks, Allure, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The question is whether the Trump administration is entitled to repeal a rule that was upheld specifically by the Supreme Court and therefore subject to precedent, said Patrick Parenteau, an emeritus professor at the Vermont Law and Graduate School who has handled endangered species cases.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2025
  • As President Donald Trump pushes to repeal several clean air and water regulations, the ALA has warned that this could deal a severe blow to U.S. public health.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The other four teams that did it (2021-22 New Orleans Pelicans, 2010-11 Indiana Pacers, 2007-08 Atlanta Hawks and 2003-04 Boston Celtics) all were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Anything less would be another painful letdown after Messi and Miami were eliminated by Atlanta United in the opening round of last year’s MLS playoffs.
    Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The case had long been viewed by Palin and other conservatives as a possible vehicle to overturn the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court landmark New York Times v. Sullivan.
    Luc Cohen, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Still to be determined is Vessel’s plan in Glastonbury; the town rejected it, and Vessel won a Superior Court lawsuit to overturn that decision.
    Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 23 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Avoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avoid. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

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