avert
- 01 C1 Advanced
to stop something bad or dangerous from happening.
to ward off or prevent the occurrence of a disaster, crisis, or other negative event.
Simple“The pilot's quick thinking helped to avert a serious accident on the runway.”
In context“Diplomatic efforts were intensified in a final attempt to avert a full-scale trade war between the two nations.”
UsageCommonly collocates with nouns like 'disaster', 'crisis', 'tragedy', or 'accident'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
to turn your eyes or your look away from something you do not want to see.
to turn away one's eyes or thoughts from a specific object or direction.
Simple“She had to avert her gaze when the movie became too violent.”
In context“He averted his eyes from the bright glare of the sun reflecting off the glass building.”
UsageAlmost always used with 'eyes', 'gaze', or 'look' as the direct object.
“The United States and Canada have reached a deal to avert steep tariffs on billions of dollars of Canadian goods, US President Donald Trump has announced.”
“They stared into the abyss last year, averting relegation on the final day, and have so much to improve.”
From Middle English averten, adverten, from Old French avertir (“turn, direct, avert; turn the attention, make aware”), from Latin āvertere, from ad + vertō (“to turn”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.