What does "avoid" mean?

1. (to stay away from) to keep away from a person, place, or thing. 2. (to prevent something) to stop something bad from happening or to keep yourself from doing something. 3. (to make void) to make a contract or legal agreement no longer valid.

How do you use "avoid"?

Always followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form). Commonly used with abstract nouns like 'conflict', 'injury', or 'mistakes'.

Is it correct to say "I avoided to talk to him."?

No — say "I avoided talking to him.". The verb 'avoid' must be followed by a gerund (-ing form), not an infinitive.

avoid

US //əˈvɔɪd// UK //ɐvˈɔɪd// avoid

1 to stay away from (v.)
A2 Elementary

to keep away from a person, place, or thing.

to keep away from or shun a person, place, or object through deliberate action.

Example

He took a different path to avoid meeting his boss in the hallway.

Example

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).
- shun
- dodge
- steer clear of
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.
2 to prevent something (v.)
A2 Elementary

to stop something bad from happening or to keep yourself from doing something.

to prevent the occurrence of an undesirable event or to refrain from a specific action.

Example

You should wear a seatbelt to avoid injury in case of an accident.

Example

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'.
- cause
- invite

Show 1 more senseShow fewer

3 to make void (v.)
C1 Advanced Formal Technical Law

to make a contract or legal agreement no longer valid.

to render a contract, plea, or transaction void or invalid.

Example

The judge decided to avoid the contract because one person was forced to sign it.

Example

The court moved to avoid the agreement on the grounds that the defendant had misrepresented the company's financial health during negotiations.

Teacher's tip

In everyday English, people use 'cancel' or 'invalidate'; 'avoid' in this sense is strictly for legal contexts.
- annul
- nullify
- invalidate
- validate
- uphold

Origin

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”).

Word family

Verbavoid
Nounavoidance
Adjectiveavoidable