Avoid

/əˈvɔɪd/

Meaning & Definition

verb

To keep away from or prevent from happening.

She tried to avoid the rain by taking an umbrella.

To prevent something from happening.

He took measures to avoid any possible misunderstandings.

To stay clear of or evade.

The athlete made an effort to avoid injuries during the season.

To refrain from doing something.

You should avoid eating too much sugar for better health.

From Middle English 'avoid' meaning 'to empty out, remove,' from Old French 'esvuidier' which means 'to empty.'

avoid something like the plague

To deliberately stay away from something.

avoid eye contact

To not look directly at someone.

avoid at all costs

To do everything possible to stay away from something.

evade

To escape or avoid, especially through cleverness.

shun

To avoid or reject deliberately.

circumvent

To find a way around (an obstacle or an issue).

Skip

I'm just going to skip that party to avoid the drama.

Duck

He tried to duck the meeting because he didn't want to deal with the conflict.