avoid

UK: /əˈvɔɪd/ US: /əˈvɔɪd/ ,(ə void′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

a•void /əˈvɔɪd/   v. [~ + object]

1. to keep away from;
   stay or keep clear of:
   A low-fat diet can help you avoid a heart attack.
2. [~ + verb-ing] to prevent from happening:
   She wore those shoes to avoid slipping.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

a•void  (ə void′), v.t. 

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. [Obs.] to empty;
   eject or expel.

• Anglo-French avoider, equivalent. to a- a-⁴ + voider to void
• Middle English avoiden 1250–30

a•void′a•ble, adj. 
a•void′a•bly, adv. 
a•void′er, n. 
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.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

avoid / əˈvɔɪd/ verb (transitive)

1. to keep out of the way of
2. to refrain from doing
3. to prevent from happening: to avoid damage to machinery
4. to make (a plea, contract, etc) void; invalidate; quash

Etymology: 14th Century: from Anglo-French avoider, from Old French esvuidier, from vuidier to empty, void

aˈvoidable adjective

aˈvoidably adverb

aˈvoider noun