avoid
pronunciation
How to pronounce avoid in British English:
UK [əˈvɔɪd]
How to pronounce avoid in American English:
US [əˈvɔɪd]
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- Verb:
- stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
- prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
- refrain from doing something
- refrain from certain foods or beverages
- declare invalid
Word Origin
- avoid
- avoid: [14] Avoid at first meant literally ‘make void, empty’. It was formed in Old French from the adjective vuide ‘empty’ (source of English void [13], and derived from a hypothetical Vulgar Latin *vocitus, which is related ultimately to vacant). With the addition of the prefix es- ‘out’, a verb evuider was formed, which passed into English via Anglo-Norman avoider. The original sense ‘empty’ barely survived into the 17th century, but meanwhile it had progressed through ‘withdrawing, so as to leave someone alone or leave a place empty’ to ‘deliberately staying away from someone or something’.=> vacant, void
- avoid (v.)
- c. 1300, from Anglo-French avoider "to clear out, withdraw (oneself)," partially anglicized from Old French esvuidier "to empty out," from es- "out" (see ex-) + vuidier "to be empty," from voide "empty, vast, wide, hollow, waste" (see void (adj.)). Originally a law term; modern sense of "have nothing to do with" also was in Middle English and corresponds to Old French eviter with which it was perhaps confused. Meaning "escape, evade" first attested 1520s. Related: Avoided; avoiding.
Example
- 1. To avoid getting wet , drivers must drive gently .
- 2. Avoid daytime sleep if possible .
- 3. Pain teaches children what to avoid .
- 4. In a text message you can avoid eye contact .
- 5. The rationale would be to avoid western banking sanctions .