Nearby Words
verb (used with object)
1.
to keep away from; keep clear of; shun: to avoid a person; to avoid taxes; to avoid danger.
2.
to prevent from happening: to avoid falling.
3.
Law. to make void or of no effect; invalidate.
4.
Obsolete. to empty; eject or expel.
Origin:
1250–30; Middle English avoiden < Anglo-French avoider, equivalent to a- a-4 + voider to void
1250–30; Middle English avoiden < Anglo-French avoider, equivalent to a- a-4 + voider to void
Related forms
a·void·a·ble, adjective
a·void·a·bly, adverb
a·void·er, noun
non·a·void·a·ble, adjective
non·a·void·a·ble·ness, noun
EXPANDSynonyms
1. elude. Avoid, escape mean to come through a potentially harmful or unpleasant experience, without suffering serious consequences. To avoid is to succeed in keeping away from something dangerous or undesirable: to avoid meeting an enemy. Escape suggests encountering peril but coming through it safely: to escape drowning.
1. elude. Avoid, escape mean to come through a potentially harmful or unpleasant experience, without suffering serious consequences. To avoid is to succeed in keeping away from something dangerous or undesirable: to avoid meeting an enemy. Escape suggests encountering peril but coming through it safely: to escape drowning.
Antonyms
1. confront, face, encounter.
1. confront, face, encounter.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To Avoid
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Avoid
is always a great word to know.
So is court of appeals. Does it mean:
| an appellate court intermediate between the trial courts and the court of last resort |
| judicial deliverance from a criminal charge on a verdict or finding of not guilty |
Example Sentences
- Here are some useful tips that will help you avoid costly pitfalls.
- Some critics have said the program is an attempt to avoid decisive action.
- The birds avoid this problem with a fight to the death soon after birth.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
avoid
c.1300, from Anglo-Fr. avoider "to clear out, withdraw (oneself)," from O.Fr. esvuidier "to empty out," from es- "out" + vuidier "to be empty," from voide "empty, vast, wide, hollow, waste" (see void). Originally a law term; modern sense of "have nothing to do with" also was
EXPANDin M.E. and corresponds to O.Fr. eviter with which it was perhaps confused. Meaning "escape, evade" first attested 1520s.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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