avoid

Universal Words verb 1 to prevent sth bad from happening: [VN] The accident could have been avoided. * They narrowly avoided defeat in the semi-final. * The name was changed to avoid confusion with another firm. * [VN-ing] They built a wall to avoid soil being washed away. 2 to keep away from sb/sth; to try not to do sth: [VN] He's been avoiding me all week. * She kept avoiding my eyes (= avoided looking at me). * I left early to avoid the rush hour. * [V-ing] I've been avoiding getting down to work all day. * You should avoid mentioning his divorce. 3 [VN] to prevent yourself from hitting sth: I had to swerve to avoid a cat. IDIOMS avoid sb/sth like the plague (informal) to try very hard not to meet sb, do sth, etc: She's been avoiding me like the plague since the party last Saturday. moreatTRAPn.