Word
avoid
US/əˈvɔɪd/
UK/ɐvˈɔɪd/
Definitions
01to stay away from
A2 · Elementary
v. to keep away from a person, place, or thing.
v. to keep away from or shun a person, place, or object through deliberate action.
日本語:避ける※
Español:evitar
“He took a different path to avoid meeting his boss in the hallway.”
“The celebrity avoided the main entrance of the hotel to escape the crowd of photographers waiting for a statement.”
Usage
Always followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form).
Pitfall
I avoided to talk to him.
I avoided talking to him.
The verb 'avoid' must be followed by a gerund (-ing form), not an infinitive.
02to prevent something
A2 · Elementary
v. to stop something bad from happening or to keep yourself from doing something.
v. to prevent the occurrence of an undesirable event or to refrain from a specific action.
日本語:回避する※
“You should wear a seatbelt to avoid injury in case of an accident.”
“The pilot performed a sharp maneuver to avoid a collision with the unidentified drone hovering near the runway.”
Usage
Commonly used with abstract nouns like 'conflict', 'injury', or 'mistakes'.
03to make void
C1 · Advanced Law Formal · Technical
v. to make a contract or legal agreement no longer valid.
v. to render a contract, plea, or transaction void or invalid.
“The judge decided to avoid the contract because one person was forced to sign it.”
“The court moved to avoid the agreement on the grounds that the defendant had misrepresented the company's financial health during negotiations.”
Teaching tip
In everyday English, people use 'cancel' or 'invalidate'; 'avoid' in this sense is strictly for legal contexts.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “avoid” in context.
Confusables
Avoid is staying away from a person or thing; prevent is stopping an event from occurring.
RememberAvoid the person; prevent the problem.
Etymology
From Middle English avoiden, from Anglo-Norman avoider, Old French esvuidier (“to empty out”), from es- + vuidier, from Vulgar Latin vocitāre < Vulgar Latin vocitum, ultimately related to Latin vacuus. Displaced native Old English forbūgan (literally “to bend away from”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A2 KeyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.3.0–4.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 2.0–2.524–43TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.225–549
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A2 · ElementaryOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/avoid
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0