Avoid


to keep away from; keep clear of; shun:
to avoid a person; to avoid taxes; to avoid danger.
to prevent from happening:
to avoid falling.
Law. to make void or of no effect; invalidate.
Obsolete. to empty; eject or expel.
Contemporary Examples

They do not include so-called “Variable Interest Entities,” the subsidiaries banks use to avoid recording risks.
The Dodd Wall Street Charade Frank Partnoy March 14, 2010

Even if Woods managed to avoid directly implicating his wife in a crime, there’s apt to be plenty of forensic evidence.
Was Tiger a Victim? Wendy Murphy November 29, 2009

The panel was asked to avoid making judgments about geography or siting—decisions which often are influenced by local politics.
Panel Highlights Alarming Lack of National Plan for U.S. Nuclear Waste Daniel Stone January 26, 2012

Green Salad—Pile green salad high on your plate—just avoid the fatty dressings.
The ‘Hungry Girl’ Summer Diet Lisa Lillien June 11, 2009

Lone Survivor chooses to avoid thoughtfulness and concentrate almost entirely on physical punishment.
The Myth of Reality in ‘Lone Survivor’ Benjamin Busch January 18, 2014

Historical Examples

The married couple should, therefore, avoid everything which may rupture this link.
The Sexual Question August Forel

“In truth, my father, I wished to avoid the pain of parting,” rejoined Philæmon.
Philothea Lydia Maria Child

I come to you in preference, on purpose to avoid sermonising.
Camilla Fanny Burney

He resolved to be as prudent as possible, and avoid, as far as he could, any altercation with Haley.
Brave and Bold Horatio Alger

The laws of the Pentateuch directed them to avoid contact with heathens.
Creed And Deed Felix Adler

verb (transitive)
to keep out of the way of
to refrain from doing
to prevent from happening: to avoid damage to machinery
(law) to make (a plea, contract, etc) void; invalidate; quash
(obsolete) to expel
(obsolete) to depart from
v.

c.1300, from Anglo-French avoider “to clear out, withdraw (oneself),” partially anglicized from Old French esvuidier “to empty out,” from es- “out” (see ex-) + vuidier “to be empty,” from voide “empty, vast, wide, hollow, waste” (see void (adj.)). Originally a law term; modern sense of “have nothing to do with” also was in Middle English and corresponds to Old French eviter with which it was perhaps confused. Meaning “escape, evade” first attested 1520s. Related: Avoided; avoiding.

Read Also:

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    to keep away from; keep clear of; shun: to avoid a person; to avoid taxes; to avoid danger. to prevent from happening: to avoid falling. Law. to make void or of no effect; invalidate. Obsolete. to empty; eject or expel. Contemporary Examples The way doctors are paid is one reason why avoidable procedures persist. PSA […]

  • Avoidance

    the act of avoiding or keeping away from: the avoidance of scandal; the avoidance of one’s neighbors. Law. a making void; annulment. Contemporary Examples But those who worked with Charles in advertising say that his avoidance of contact was not shyness, but a deliberate campaign. Charles Saatchi: From Saatchi & Saatchi to Allegedly Choking Nigella […]

  • Avoidance play

    a play by the declarer designed to prevent a particular opponent from taking the lead.

  • Avoidance behavior

    noun a pervasive pattern of avoiding or withdrawing from social interaction; a defense mechanism by which a person removes himself/herself from unpleasant situations Examples He comes home late, after dinner, in classic avoidance behavior. Word Origin by 1928

  • Avoidant

    adjective (of behaviour) demonstrating a tendency to avoid intimacy or interaction with others Contemporary Examples And so begins what psychologists call the avoidant coping behavior. Dad-olescence: The New Midlife Crisis Sean Macaulay October 26, 2009 Children with avoidant personalities or extreme anxiety will more easily fall into an unhealthy coping style. When a Parent Commits […]


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