Meaning of “avoid” in the English Dictionary

English
Contents

"avoid" in English

See all translations

avoidverb [ T ]

uk ​ /əˈvɔɪd/ us ​ /əˈvɔɪd/

B1 to stay away from someone or something:

I try to avoid supermarkets on Saturdays - they're always so busy.
I'm anxious to avoid the motorway at rush hour.
Do you think Lukas is avoiding me? I haven't seen him all day.

B2 to prevent something from happening or to not allow yourself to do something:

[ + -ing verb ] I try to avoid going shopping on Saturdays.
The report studiously avoided any mention of the controversial plan.
The plane narrowly avoided disaster when one of the engines cut out on take-off.
I left the pub to avoid a fight (= prevent a fight from happening).
Unnecessary paperwork should be avoided (= prevented) at all costs.

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

avoid sth like the plague

(Definition of “avoid” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"avoid" in American English

See all translations

avoidverb [ T ]

us ​ /əˈvɔɪd/

› to stay away from someone or something, or prevent something from happening, or not allow yourself to do something:

Do you think Robert is avoiding me? I haven’t seen him for a month.
I try to avoid going shopping on Saturdays because the stores are so crowded.
If you want to lose weight, avoid eating between meals.
avoidance
noun [ U ] us ​ /əˈvɔɪ·dəns/

›

The avoidance of injury is more important than winning a game.

(Definition of “avoid” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"avoid" in Business English

See all translations

avoidverb [ T ]

uk ​ /əˈvɔɪd/ us ​

› to try to prevent something bad from happening:

A spokeswoman for the company said it was hoping to avoid industrial action.
Understanding differing viewpoints is a good start toward avoiding conflict in the workplace.

› to try not to do something, or to try to stay away from something:

The government avoided the mistakes they made in the past.
avoid doing sth Credit cards can be a source of free credit if you can organize payments within the stipulated time limits, so as to avoid paying interest.

(Definition of “avoid” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of “avoid”
 
Need a translator?

Translator tool

Get a quick, free translation!

What is the pronunciation of avoid?
Browse