avoid

A2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /əˈvɔɪd/ See IPA manual

Freq #1968

Meanings

1

verb
To stay away from a person, place, or thing.

I try to avoid the main roads during rush hour.
2

verb
To choose not to do something, especially something harmful.

You need to avoid eating ice cream since you're lactose intolerant.
3

verb
To prevent something bad from happening.

Careful planning helped us avoid further problems.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

abjure avert dodge duck elude escape eschew evadeevitatehelp shun sidestep

Opposites

confront engage

Word family

Forms avoidedavoidingavoids

Derived forms avoidable avoidanceavoidantavoideravoidlessavoidmentunavoided

Related forms flee ignore ostracization

Appears in

Phrases (5)

See all

avoid a question
to deliberately not answer a question

Verb + noun
avoid an accident
to successfully prevent an unexpected harmful event from occurring

Verb + noun
avoid jail
To escape a prison sentence, usually through legal means or a deal

Verb + noun
avoid trouble
to keep away from situations that could lead to problems or conflict

Verb + noun
avoid prison
to escape being sent to prison, often through a legal technicality or light sentence

Verb + noun

Etymology

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”).

avoiden Middle English avoider xno esvuidier Old French *vocitāre la-vul *vocitum la-vul vacuus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# avoid

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /əˈvɔɪd/
**Frequency rank:** 1968

## Meanings
1. To stay away from a person, place, or thing.
2. To choose not to do something, especially something harmful.
3. To prevent something bad from happening.

## Examples
- I try to avoid the main roads during rush hour.
- You need to avoid eating ice cream since you're lactose intolerant.
- Careful planning helped us avoid further problems.

## Synonyms
- abjure
- avert
- dodge
- duck
- elude
- escape
- eschew
- evade
- evitate
- help
- shun
- sidestep

## Antonyms
- confront
- engage

## Derived Forms
- avoidable
- avoidance
- avoidant
- avoider
- avoidless
- avoidment
- unavoided

## Related Forms
- flee
- ignore
- ostracization

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: avoiden
- Root: avoider
- Root: esvuidier
- Root: *vocitāre
- Root: *vocitum
- Root: vacuus

## Etymology
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”).

## AI Etymology
Avoid comes from Middle English avoiden, from Anglo-Norman avoider, Old French esvuidier (“to empty out”), from es- plus vuidier, from Vulgar Latin *vocitāre < Vulgar Latin *vocitum, ultimately related to Latin vacuus. Displaced native Old English forbūgan (literally “to bend away from”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern verbal form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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