Avert

/əˈvɜːrt/

Meaning & Definition

verb

to turn away or aside (something); to prevent something from happening.

The quick action of the lifeguard helped to avert a drowning incident.

to prevent or ward off an undesirable occurrence.

She took precautions to avert any financial losses.

to avoid something by turning away.

He averted his gaze from the gruesome scene.

to keep away from; to keep something from happening.

Efforts were made to avert a potential crisis.

Middle English, from Old French 'avertir', from Latin 'advertire' meaning to 'turn to' or 'turn away'.

avert disaster

To take action to prevent a disaster from occurring.

avert one's gaze

To look away, especially to avoid something unpleasant.

avert a crisis

To take steps to prevent a crisis from happening.

prevent

To stop something from happening.

avoid

To keep away from or prevent from happening.

To dodge or evade responsibility.

He tried to avert the blame by shifting it to someone else.

To fake or feign ignorance of a situation.

She averted her attention to avoid the topic.