1
as in evading
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery
trying to avoid writing thank-you notes for the gifts he didn't like
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abolishing
to put an end to by formal action
asked the court to avoid the contract because it was signed under duress
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of avoiding
According to Ruby, seven of the 20 or so churches in G92, a Christian immigrant advocacy coalition in the city, are ready to offer physical sanctuary, though many are avoiding publicity for fear of harassment.
—
Caitlin Hu, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
To do so, Nguyen advises maintaining proper form, controlling the weight through the full range of motion and avoiding any movement that causes sudden pain.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
That knowledge translates directly into negotiating power — and into avoiding the expensive surprises that catch unprepared buyers off guard.
—Allison Palmer
updated February 19, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
The council’s Rules Committee praised the proposal, which was presented by Councilmember Raul Campillo, for its goal of boosting transparency and avoiding resident sticker shock.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The rich have made an art of avoiding taxes and making sure their wealth passes down effortlessly to the next generation.
—Matt Sedensky, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
The battery is reported to retain more than 90 percent of its driving range even at –40 degrees Celsius, avoiding the sharp winter degradation commonly associated with both LFP and nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Feb. 2026
Rapinchuk recommends only using non-toxic products when cleaning your refrigerator and avoiding anything with harsh chemicals, such as bleach and ammonia.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 5 Feb. 2026
House and Senate leadership met with the governor on Wednesday to start the process of avoiding that.
—Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Caitlin Hu, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
To do so, Nguyen advises maintaining proper form, controlling the weight through the full range of motion and avoiding any movement that causes sudden pain.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
That knowledge translates directly into negotiating power — and into avoiding the expensive surprises that catch unprepared buyers off guard.
—Allison Palmer
updated February 19, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
The council’s Rules Committee praised the proposal, which was presented by Councilmember Raul Campillo, for its goal of boosting transparency and avoiding resident sticker shock.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The rich have made an art of avoiding taxes and making sure their wealth passes down effortlessly to the next generation.
—Matt Sedensky, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
The battery is reported to retain more than 90 percent of its driving range even at –40 degrees Celsius, avoiding the sharp winter degradation commonly associated with both LFP and nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Feb. 2026
Rapinchuk recommends only using non-toxic products when cleaning your refrigerator and avoiding anything with harsh chemicals, such as bleach and ammonia.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 5 Feb. 2026
House and Senate leadership met with the governor on Wednesday to start the process of avoiding that.
—Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avoiding
Verb
-
Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Bottega Veneta’s perfume holder makes sure your travel-sized scent never ever rolls around at the bottom of your bag, evading your grip hand again.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Success will be measured by progress toward abolishing property taxes, restoring public trust, improving infrastructure reliability, reducing corruption, and overall approval from the people of Texas.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Authoritarian states have learned to insulate themselves from diaspora pressure while simultaneously using emigration as a safety valve, turning potential dissidents into remittance-senders – as Cuba did by abolishing exit visas in 2013.—
Michael Paarlberg,
The Conversation,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Some of his best friends and teammates have won Super Bowls the last two years after escaping the Giants.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
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But such dreamy weather tends to draw visitors escaping snow and ice back home, so expect beaches to be busier and prices to be higher during this season.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Other recommendations included repealing any crime-free nuisance ordinances around housing, establishing an Office of Immigrant and Refugee Rights and creating a program that diverts young people away from the justice system.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The controversy might make for good ratings and fundraising appeals, but Congress could address the underlying issue simply by repealing the outdated regulation — or eliminating the Federal Communications Commission altogether.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even worse, that money was supposed to go toward preventing and reversing drug overdoses amid an ongoing opioid epidemic.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Some lawmakers view Trump’s order skeptically at best, noting the administration has been removing guardrails, and preventing others from erecting them, to an extreme degree.—
Darius Tahir,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This step includes canceling the student picture day scheduled for Thursday at Hilbert Elementary, a school in Wayne County's Redford Township that enrolls students pre-K through grade 6.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
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The host handed me a blindfold and Bose noise-canceling headphones, playing the hypnotic sounds of a space drum with birds chirping in the distance.—
Shelby Hartman,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Not Carolyn artfully dodging the drug allegations!—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
19 Feb. 2026
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Alternately embracing and dodging comparisons, the younger Buckley rode the wave of notoriety in the downtown Manhattan scene, securing a recording contract and an army of dedicated followers.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Enacting government reforms like congressional term limits, banning stock trading and overturning citizens united would make congress members more accountable to the people and less likely to play partisan games to appease special interest groups.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Feb. 2026
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Barcelona first entered the top eight on the hour-mark after overturning a one-goal deficit against Copenhagen, while Manchester City took a two-goal lead within half an hour at home to Galatasaray.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Avoiding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avoiding. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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