avert

verb
UK: /əˈvɜːt/
US: /əˈvɜːrt/

  1. To prevent something bad from happening.

    1. He tried to avert the accident by swerving. [ ] [ ]
    2. The company took steps to avert a potential environmental disaster that could have cost millions. [ ] [ ]

  2. To turn your eyes or gaze away from something.

    1. She averted her eyes during the scary movie scene. [ ] [ ]
    2. He averted his gaze to avoid showing his true feelings about the situation. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

prevent avoid forestall preclude ward off turn away
avert transitive-verb

  1. Turn away; prevent.

    1. They worked to avert the crisis. [ ] [ ]
    2. The government took action to avert economic collapse ensuring stability. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "avert" in English means: To prevent something bad from happening., To turn your eyes or gaze away from something..

The phonetic transcription of "avert" is /əˈvɜːt/ in British English and /əˈvɜːrt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "avert": prevent, avoid, forestall, preclude, ward off, turn away.

Example usage of "avert": "He tried to avert the accident by swerving.". More examples on the page.