avoid

verb

(transitive) To keep away from; to keep clear of; to stay away from.

(transitive) To try not to meet or communicate with (a person); to shun.

(transitive) To stay out of the way of (something harmful).

(transitive) To try not to do something or to have something happen.

(transitive, now law) To make void, to annul; to refute (especially a contract).

(transitive, law) To defeat or evade; to invalidate.

(transitive, obsolete) To make empty; to clear.

(transitive, obsolete) To leave, evacuate; to leave as empty, to withdraw or come away from.

(transitive, obsolete) To get rid of.

(intransitive, obsolete) To retire; to withdraw, depart, go away.

(intransitive, obsolete) To become void or vacant.

(transitive, obsolete) To emit or throw out; to void.

Roots

vacivus-void · Latin · empty

Synonyms for avoid

avertv obviatev debarv shunv eschewv preventv evadev deflectv sidestepv eludev precludev abstainv escapev circumventv

Synonyms & related words for avoid

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of avoid — including avert, obviate, debar, shun, eschew, prevent. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to avoid

Explore words related to avoid — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include forfend, eschewal, evite, avoidance, avoidable, inevasible, avertible, avertable. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for avoid

Common synonyms for avoid include avert, obviate, debar, shun, eschew, prevent, evade, deflect — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does avoid come from?

The word avoid breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root -void, from Latin vacivus (“empty”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.