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avoidance

n.
US //əˈvɔɪdəns// UK //ɐvˈɔɪdəns// avoid·ance
  1. 1 staying away from (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the act of staying away from a person, place, or situation.

    the act of shunning or keeping clear of something unpleasant or harmful.

    Example

    His avoidance of the subject made it clear he didn't want to talk about the accident.

    Example

    The patient's persistent avoidance of social situations was identified by the therapist as a primary symptom of his underlying anxiety disorder.
  2. 2 preventing something (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the act of making sure something bad does not happen.

    the prevention of an anticipated or likely event through deliberate action.

    Example

    The pilot took quick action for the avoidance of a collision.

    Example

    Strict safety protocols are essential for the avoidance of industrial accidents in high-risk manufacturing environments.
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  1. 3 tax/legal (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Law

    the legal way of reducing the amount of tax you have to pay.

    the legal exploitation of the tax regime to one's own advantage, to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law.

    Example

    The company used clever tax avoidance schemes to keep more of its profits.

    Example

    The government introduced new legislation to close loopholes that allowed aggressive tax avoidance by multinational corporations.

    Usage

    Often appears in the phrase 'tax avoidance' to distinguish it from illegal 'tax evasion'.

    Teacher's tip

    Explain to students that 'avoidance' is the legal strategy, while 'evasion' is the criminal act.
    Pitfall
    He was arrested for tax avoidance.
    He was arrested for tax evasion.

    Avoidance is legal; evasion is illegal. You are not usually arrested for avoidance.

  2. 4 annulling a contract (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Formal Technical Law

    the act of making a legal agreement or contract no longer valid.

    the act of annulling or making void; the invalidation of a legal instrument or a plea.

    Example

    The lawyer argued for the avoidance of the contract based on a technical error.

    Example

    The court ruled that the misrepresentation of facts justified the avoidance of the insurance policy from its inception.
Origin

From Middle English avoidaunce, from avoid + -ance.

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