avoid verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes

1to prevent something bad from happening avoid something The accident could have been avoided. · 2to keep away from someone or something; to try not to do ... Togglenavigation Redeem Upgrade Help Signin Dictionaries Dictionarieshome English AmericanEnglish Academic Collocations German-English Grammar Grammarhome PracticalEnglishUsage Learn&PractiseGrammar(Beta) WordLists WordListshome MyWordLists Topics Recentadditions Resources Resourceshome TextChecker Signin Dictionaries Dictionarieshome English AmericanEnglish Academic Collocations German-English Grammar Grammarhome PracticalEnglishUsage Learn&PractiseGrammar(Beta) WordLists WordListshome MyWordLists Topics Recentadditions Resources Resourceshome TextChecker Redeem Upgrade Help TOP AmericanEnglish English AmericanEnglish AcademicEnglish Collocations PracticalEnglishUsage German-English English-German English AmericanEnglish Entersearchtext DefinitionofavoidverbfromtheOxfordAdvancedAmericanDictionary   avoid verbverbNAmE//əˈvɔɪd// VerbFormspresentsimpleI/you/we/theyavoid he/she/itavoids pastsimpleavoided -ingformavoiding  jumptootherresults1topreventsomethingbadfromhappeningavoidsomethingTheaccidentcouldhavebeenavoided.Theynarrowlyavoideddefeat.Thenamewaschangedtoavoidconfusionwithanothercompany.avoiddoingsomethingTheybuiltawalltoavoidsoilbeingwashedaway. Questionsaboutgrammarandvocabulary? FindtheanswerswithPracticalEnglishUsageonline,yourindispensableguidetoproblemsinEnglish. Joinus JoinourcommunitytoaccessthelatestlanguagelearningandassessmenttipsfromOxfordUniversityPress! Definitionsonthego Lookupanywordinthedictionaryoffline,anytime,anywherewiththeOxfordAdvancedLearner’sDictionaryapp. Wanttolearnmore? FindoutwhichwordsworktogetherandproducemorenaturalsoundingEnglishwiththeOxfordCollocationsDictionaryapp. 2tokeepawayfromsomeoneorsomething;totrynottodosomethingavoidsomebody/somethingHe'sbeenavoidingmeallweek.Shekeptavoidingmyeyes(=avoidedlookingatme).Ileftearlytoavoidtherushhour.avoiddoingsomethingI'vebeenavoidinggettingdowntoworkallday.Youshouldavoidmentioninghisdivorce. 3avoidsomethingtopreventyourselffromhittingsomethingIhadtoswervetoavoidacat.Idiomsavoidsomebody/somethingliketheplague(informal) jumptootherresultstotryveryhardnottomeetsomeone,dosomething,etc.She'sbeenavoidingmeliketheplaguesincethepartylastSaturday.tofallinto/avoidthetrapofdoingsomething jumptootherresultstodo/avoiddoingsomethingthatisamistakebutwhichseemsatfirsttobeagoodideaParentsoftenfallintothetrapoftryingtodoeverythingfortheirchildren.SeeavoidintheOxfordAdvancedLearner'sDictionaryCheckpronunciation:avoid Nearbywords avocationnoun avocetnoun avoidverb avoidableadjective avoidancenoun