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 Enable auto updates wherever possible to avoid missing critical patches. 7. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2025 But typically, the Russian leader – a former intelligence officer with the Soviet Union’s security service, the KGB – uses translators to avoid speaking in English during diplomatic conversations. Katharina Krebs, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2025 If shipments from these DCs started flowing across the border to the US, that would be evidence that Walmart is looking to avoid transshipment tariffs. Steve Banker, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025 Fortunately, this increase will not affect the vast majority of subway riders, most of whom avoid paying the fare altogether by hopping over the turnstile or rushing in through the emergency exit door. John Ficarra, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for avoid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avoid
Verb
  • Scammers distribute invitations to food truck owners through Gmail accounts, often using multiple email addresses to evade scam blocking filters.
    Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 14 Aug. 2025
  • The other, finished in Sebring Orange, was able to evade authorities briefly but was eventually located three hours away in Martin County, Indiana.
    Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • New York state, where Gendron pleaded guilty to 15 state charges, including multiple counts of murder, abolished capital punishment in 2004.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Even after slavery was abolished, some families who sought to find their kin never did.
    Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Both eateries are open to the public, making this a great place to escape from the heat of the day while peeking inside the incredible interior of this historic building.
    Carley Rojas Ávila, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • What does this have to do with the series’ opening scene, in which nurse Melvin (Dan Fogler, whose recognizability counts as an early spoiler) escapes from a burning apartment, unable to save his mother?
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Start your free trial and get access to 5 all-new premium newsletters—cancel anytime.
    Andrea J. Arratibel, Wired News, 12 Aug. 2025
  • All appointments at Driver Licensing Regional Offices are canceled for Aug. 11 as officials work to address a statewide tech issue, Kentucky Transporation Cabinet officials announced.
    Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Acting now can avoid service interruptions, prevent compliance violations, and even reduce long-term costs.
    Arvin Chaudhary, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2025
  • These commissions were created, in many cases by referendum, to reduce the role of partisan politics from the redistricting process — essentially, to prevent the kind of gerrymandering that both parties are now considering.
    Elena Shao, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • His lawsuit claims that if fully developed, the area could require as many as 450 parking spaces under the parking minimum requirements the city repealed in 2021 Management for JB Vang couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.
    Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 13 Aug. 2025
  • The measures would repeal sections of Massachusetts’ cannabis legalization law, which was approved by nearly 54% of voters in 2016, that authorize recreational cannabis retailers.
    A.J. Herrington, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • He was eliminated a couple of weeks later after receiving the fewest votes from his fellow islanders.
    Gloria Ngwa, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025
  • And in many states, there are simply too many voters from the opposing party to completely eliminate their representation in Congress, no matter how ruthlessly the lines are drawn.
    Elena Shao, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • To change that, Congress would need to overturn home rule.
    Rachel Treisman, NPR, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Tables were overturned, wine bottles were shattered and decorations were destroyed.
    Erin Clack, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Avoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avoid. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

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