English Explanatory Dictionary

avoid

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To try not to meet or communicate with (a person); to shun.
To stay out of the way of (something harmful).
To keep away from; to keep clear of; to stay away from.
To try not to do something or to have something happen.
To make empty; to clear.
To make void, to annul; to refute (especially a contract).
To defeat or evade; to invalidate.
To emit or throw out; to void.
To leave, evacuate; to leave as empty, to withdraw or come away from.
To get rid of.
To retire; to withdraw, depart, go away.
To become void or vacant.

Pronunciation

/əˈvɔɪd/ en-us-avoid.ogg

Word forms

avoid avoids avoiding avoided

Etymology

From Middle English avoiden, from Anglo-Norman avoider, Old French esvuidier (“to empty out”), from es- + vuidier, from Vulgar Latin *vocitāre < Vulgar Latin *vocitum, ultimately related to Latin vacuus. Displaced native Old English forbūgan (literally “to bend away from”).

Synonyms

abjure avert stave off avoid dodge duck help elude escape eschew evade evitate get away from long off sack off sidestep shy away from skirt shun steer clear swerve waive

Antonyms

come to grips with confront deal with engage get to grips with take the bull by the horns

Related words

avoid like the plague beat around the bush dodge a bullet flee ignore ostracization

Derived words

avoidable avoidance avoidant avoider avoidless avoid like the plague avoidment unavoided

Translations

Albanian: shmang Basque: itzuri Catalan: evitar French: éviter German: ausweichen German: vermeiden Hungarian: elkerül Italian: schivare Italian: evitare Latin: desum Portuguese: evitar Sicilian: javitari Sicilian: sgavitari Spanish: evitar Spanish: esquivar Turkish: kaçınmak Ottoman Turkish: قاچمق Azerbaijani: saqınmaq Marathi: टाळणे

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