AVOIDS Synonyms: 131 Similar and Opposite Words

avoids

verb

present tense third-person singular of avoid

as in evades

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

as in abolishes

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

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 avoids Addressing Messi — who famously avoids speaking out on politics — the president stuck mostly to sports. —

CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026 The service The service at Asher Adams avoids the stiff feel of some other high-end hotels, opting instead for a genuinely personal hospitality style. —

Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Mar. 2026 The Worcester Telegram and Gazette initially reported the shoplifting allegations from court records, which said that Kent had stolen the items using a method called skip-scanning — when a customer avoids ringing in some merchandise during self-checkout. —

Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2026 After all, the series largely avoids other topical issues of modern campus life, from freedom of speech restrictions to administrators kowtowing to autocracies. —

Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026 Morning watering from 5 to 9 am is best for deep soaking and avoids fungal risk. —

Kate McKenna, The Spruce, 5 Mar. 2026 This technology avoids experimenting on animals to help scientists learn more about beaver behavior. —

Katie Grant, Parents, 4 Mar. 2026 The deal provides a massive windfall for Roivant and two of its portfolio companies, which have not managed to turn lipid nanoparticles into drugs themselves, and avoids a worst-case scenario for Moderna. —

Ed Silverman, STAT, 4 Mar. 2026 Texas may need a win to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament that avoids the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. —

Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 4 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for avoids

Verb

But how does one set out to write a biography about the creation of an author who not only can’t be reached, but actively evades the spotlight?

— Costa Beavin Pappas, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
The result is contrasting, suited for a composition that evades singular meaning.

— Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026