Avoid
Pronunciation
- IPA: /əˈvɔɪd/
- Rhymes: -ɔɪd
Origin
From Middle English avoiden, from Anglo-Norman avoider, Old French esvuidier ("to empty out"), from es- + vuidier, from Latin viduare ("to empty"), from viduus ("empty"); see void.
Full definition of avoid
Verb
- (transitive) To keep away from; to keep clear of; to endeavor not to meet; to shun; to abstain from.I try to avoid the company of gamblers.
- 1526, Bible, tr. William Tyndale, Matthew 4:The devyll ... sayde unto hym: all these will I geve the, iff thou wilt faull doune and worship me. Then sayde Jesus unto hym. Avoyde Satan.
- MiltonWhat need a man forestall his date of grief,
And run to meet what he would most avoid ? - MacaulayHe carefully avoided every act which could goad them into open hostility.
- 2012, June 19, Phil McNulty, England 1-0 Ukraine, England could have met world and European champions Spain but that eventuality was avoided by Sweden's 2-0 win against France, and Rooney's first goal in a major tournament since scoring twice in the 4-2 victory over Croatia in Lisbon at Euro 2004.
- (transitive, obsolete) To make empty; to clear.
- (transitive, now legal) To make void, to annul; to refute (especially a contract).
- SpenserHow can these grants of the king's be avoided?
- (transitive, legal) To defeat or evade; to invalidate. Thus, in a replication, the plaintiff may deny the defendant's plea, or confess it, and avoid it by stating new matter.
- (transitive, obsolete) To emit or throw out; to void; as, to avoid excretions.
- (transitive, obsolete) To leave, evacuate; to leave as empty, to withdraw or come away from.
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book X:And therewith anone cam another knyght of the castell; and he was smyttyn so sore that he avoyded hys sadyll.
- Francis BaconSix of us only stayed, and the rest avoided the room.
- (transitive, obsolete) To get rid of.
- (intransitive, obsolete) To retire; to withdraw, depart, go away.
- (intransitive, obsolete) To become void or vacant.
Usage notes
This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing). See