Link Centre Dictionary

avoid

UK/əˈvɔɪd/ US/ʌˈvɔɪd/ common

verb

1.

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

  • “Her former friends now avoid her”
Antonyms
2.

prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening

  • “Let”
  • “;”
  • “;”
Synonyms
3.

refrain from doing something

  • “She refrains from calling her therapist too often”
  • “He should avoid publishing his wife”
4.

refrain from certain foods or beverages

  • “I keep off drugs”
  • “During Ramadan, Muslims avoid tobacco during the day”
Synonyms
5.

declare invalid

  • “The contract was annulled”
  • “void a plea”
Synonyms
Antonyms

Origin

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”).

Phrases

  • avoid like the plague
  • beat around the bush
  • dodge a bullet

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.