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avoid

 - 4 dictionary results

a⋅void

  [uh-void]
Use avoid in a Sentence
–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; ME avoiden < AF avoider, equiv. to a- a- 4 + voider to void

Related forms:
a⋅void⋅a⋅ble, adjective
a⋅void⋅a⋅bly, adverb
a⋅void⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To avoid
a·void   (ə-void')   
tr.v.   a·void·ed, a·void·ing, a·voids

  1. To stay clear of; shun. See Synonyms at escape.

  2. To keep from happening: avoid illness with rest and a balanced diet.

  3. Law To annul or make void; invalidate.

  4. Obsolete To void or expel.


[Middle English avoiden, from Anglo-Norman avoider, to empty out, variant of Old French esvuidier : es-, out (from Latin ex-; see ex-) + vuidier, to empty (from voide, empty; see void).]
a·void'a·ble adj., a·void'a·bly adv., a·void'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

avoid 
1300, from Anglo-Fr. avoider "to clear out, withdraw (oneself)," from O.Fr. esvuider "to empty out," from es- "out" + vuidier "to be empty" (see void). Originally a law term; modern sense of "have nothing to do with" was also in M.E. and corresponds to O.Fr. eviter with which it was perhaps confused. Meaning "escape, evade" first attested 1530.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: avoid
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: modification of Old French esvuider to destroy, literally, to empty, from es- out + vuider to empty
1 : to make void or undo : ANNUL avoid any transfer of interest of the debtor in property —U.S. Code>
2 : to respond to (an allegation or averment) by declaring that facts alleged do not result in liability avoided —Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 8(d)> —see also CONFESSION AND AVOIDANCE —compare DENY
3 : to prevent the occurrence of or responsibility for esp. through lawful means <avoid a tax> —compare EVADE —avoid·abil·i·ty noun —avoid·able adjective —avoid·ance noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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