avert

verb

ə-ˈvərt 

averted; averting; averts

transitive verb

1

: to turn away or aside (the eyes, one's gaze, etc.) in avoidance

I found the sight so grotesque that I had to avert my eyes …

—John Gregory Dunne

2

: to see coming and ward off : avoid

avert disaster

Synonyms of avert

• prevent

Examples of avert in a Sentence

He sped up and averted an accident.

The diplomatic talks narrowly averted a war.

an attempt to avert a strike at the plant

Recent Examples on the Web

The Senate passed a bipartisan bill to avert a federal government shutdown starting in October, and the measure now heads to the House. — Theodoric Meyer, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2026

The Senate just went out with a bang ‒ passing a government funding bill to try to avert another shutdown, confirming Todd Blanche as attorney general and bucking a voter ID measure. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026

Parties representing both groups are part of Netanyahu’s coalition, which has struggled to avert a split over the issue since a Supreme Court ruling in 2024 that an exemption to the draft for religious study was unlawful. — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026

The call that might have averted disaster came into William Mulholland’s office that morning. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French avertir, from Latin avertere, from ab- + vertere to turn — more at worth

First Known Use

circa 1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing avert

• avert one's eyes

Rhymes for avert

• alert
• assert
• dessert
• divert
• evert
• exert
• inert
• insert
• invert
• nightshirt
• overt
• revert

Kids Definition

avert

verb

ə-ˈvərt 

1

: to turn away

avert one's eyes

2

: to keep from happening

averted an accident