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 The prospect of prosecutors on the stand was unprecedented, and legal experts suspected Mitchell would try to avoid it. Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025 Audio from American and British news reports provides occasional updates on the war, but The Ark avoids any geopolitical analysis or point-making. Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025 And without a security guarantee that the Yemeni group will not attack again, Maersk and rivals like Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) remained steadfast in avoiding the region altogether. Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2025 One of the defendants texted another co-conspirator that Billups should purposely lose a hand to avoid cheating suspicions. Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for avoid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avoid
Verb
  • Simmons added that the play would’ve worked in the game except that Stone had to evade a defender, and that caused Jenkins to briefly stop.
    Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
  • First Ascents in South Korea Chouinard reportedly drank an entire bottle of soy sauce in an effort to spike his blood pressure and evade a draft for the Korean War.
    Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • That uneven use of the death penalty is one of the reasons advocates want to abolish it.
    Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Additionally, individual states can’t decide to abolish the practice without Congressional approval.
    Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Epstein story is all about people who are sufficiently rich or entitled escaping the full consequences of their actions, something that is still happening here.
    Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Seven years after disappearing from his California home in 1972, 14-year-old Steven Stayner escaped his kidnapper, Kenneth Parnell, and returned to his family in 1980.
    James Mercadante, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Barca and Madrid reactions to the Miami game being cancelled was certainly divergent, and there will be lingering tension in the Bernabeu’s VIP areas on Sunday.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The principal didn’t immediately realize the alert had been canceled, a spokesperson for Baltimore County Public Schools told WBAL.
    Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • According to the Department of Transportation, daylight saving time saves energy, prevents traffic injuries and reduces crime.
    Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 Oct. 2025
  • What was meant to prevent violence ended up turning an ordinary moment into a frightening encounter with armed officers.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Months after Missouri lawmakers passed a sweeping incentives package for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals, voters across the state could have a chance to repeal it.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Gay people could not openly serve in the military until Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was repealed in 2011.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • This includes thinking vertically and adding hooks to dangle gear on wall space or finding ways to pop in clever items, like storage benches, that double as organizational features and help eliminate dust buildup.
    Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Ursillo and other opponents who spoke during the public hearing had urged the Zoning Commission to delay a vote to allow time to consider potential changes, such as eliminating special exceptions and keeping lower height limits intact around the Boston Common.
    Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Additionally, the letter calls on Congressional support for the European Union to overturn its ban on Sulfuryl Fluoride, a pesticide used to fumigate Southern Yellow Pine wood chips on breakbulk cargo ships.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The British Library overturned its initial decision by issuing Wilde’s proxy a new card in his name.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Avoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avoid. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.

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