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avoid

Pronunciation: /əˈvɔɪd/

The English word “avoid” has 12 meanings listed here.

verb

  1. To try not to meet or communicate with (a person); to shun.
  2. To stay out of the way of (something harmful).
  3. To keep away from; to keep clear of; to stay away from.
  4. To try not to do something or to have something happen.
  5. To make empty; to clear.
  6. To make void, to annul; to refute (especially a contract).
  7. To defeat or evade; to invalidate.
  8. To emit or throw out; to void.
  9. To leave, evacuate; to leave as empty, to withdraw or come away from.
  10. To get rid of.
  11. To retire; to withdraw, depart, go away.
  12. To become void or vacant.

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”).

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.