# avoidance

/əˈvɔɪdəns/ (US) · /ɐvˈɔɪdəns/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/avoidance
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. staying away from

noun · CEFR B2

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

For teachers: the act of shunning or keeping clear of something unpleasant or harmful.

- His avoidance of the subject made it clear he didn't want to talk about the accident.
- The patient's persistent avoidance of social situations was identified by the therapist as a primary symptom of his underlying anxiety disorder.

### 2. preventing something

noun · CEFR B2

the act of making sure something bad does not happen.

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

- The pilot took quick action for the avoidance of a collision.
- Strict safety protocols are essential for the avoidance of industrial accidents in high-risk manufacturing environments.

### 3. tax/legal

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

For teachers: 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.

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

Teaching tip: Explain to students that 'avoidance' is the legal strategy, while 'evasion' is the criminal act.

### 4. annulling a contract

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal · Technical

the act of making a legal agreement or contract no longer valid.

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

- The lawyer argued for the avoidance of the contract based on a technical error.
- The court ruled that the misrepresentation of facts justified the avoidance of the insurance policy from its inception.

## Examples

- His avoidance of the topic was obvious.
- She showed clear avoidance of eye contact during the interview.
- The politician's strategic avoidance of the question frustrated journalists who sought a direct answer on the new policy.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.