AVOID

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does avoid mean? 

• AVOID (verb)
  The verb AVOID has 5 senses:

1. stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

2. prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening

3. refrain from doing something

4. refrain from certain foods or beverages

5. declare invalid

  Familiarity information: AVOID used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• AVOID (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they avoid    ... he / she / it avoids   
Past simple: avoided   
Past participle: avoided   
-ing form: avoiding   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

Her former friends now avoid her

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "avoid"):

circumvent; dodge; duck; elude; evade; fudge; hedge; parry; put off; sidestep; skirt (avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues))

escape; miss (fail to experience)

escape; get away; get by; get off; get out (escape potentially unpleasant consequences; get away with a forbidden action)

bypass; get around; go around; short-circuit (avoid something unpleasant or laborious)

keep off; stay off (refrain from entering or walking onto)

shirk (avoid dealing with)

shy away from (avoid having to deal with some unpleasant task)

eschew; shun (avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Antonym:

confront (deal with (something unpleasant) head on)

Derivation:

avoidance (deliberately avoiding; keeping away from or preventing from happening)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

avert; avoid; debar; deflect; fend off; forefend; forfend; head off; obviate; stave off; ward off

Context example:

avert a strike

Hypernyms (to "avoid" is one way to...):

forbid; foreclose; forestall; preclude; prevent (keep from happening or arising; make impossible)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

avoidable (capable of being avoided or warded off)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Refrain from doing something

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

He should avoid publishing his wife's memories

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "avoid"):

fiddle; goldbrick; shirk; shrink from (avoid (one's assigned duties))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s VERB-ing

Sense 4

Meaning:

Refrain from certain foods or beverages

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

avoid; keep off

Context example:

During Ramadan, Muslims avoid tobacco during the day

Hypernyms (to "avoid" is one way to...):

abstain; desist; refrain (choose not to consume)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Declare invalid

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

annul; avoid; invalidate; nullify; quash; void

Context example:

void a plea

Hypernyms (to "avoid" is one way to...):

cancel; strike down (declare null and void; make ineffective)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "avoid"):

set aside (annul (a legal decision))

break (invalidate by judicial action)

stet (printing: cancel, as of a correction or deletion)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

His conscious aim had been to increase his strength by avoiding excess of strength.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

And indeed to avoid so monstrous and detestable a sight was one principal motive of my retirement hither.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

He has been giving me a sketch of the methods by which he avoided the English police and kept himself informed of our movements.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I warned the inmates of the house, so as to avoid a second tragedy, and we went down, with the happiest results.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Now, everyone I know avoids important purchases and decisions during these periods.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The infants were randomly assigned to either avoid peanut entirely or to regularly eat at least 6 grams of peanut protein per week.

(Peanut Consumption in Infancy Lowers Peanut Allergy, NIH)

He said J Bruce Ismay, President of the firm behind construction of RMS Titanic, ordered the twelve men tasked to attempting to control the fire to avoid informing passengers.

(UK documentary claims fire weakened RMS Titanic, Wikinews)

It is not probable, I consider, that Mr. James would encourage the receipt of letters likely to increase low spirits and unpleasantness; but further than that, sir, I should wish to avoid going.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Forever after Buck avoided his blind side, and to the last of their comradeship had no more trouble.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

I seemed to wish to keep him to the point of his madness—a thing which I avoid with the patients as I would the mouth of hell.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)