avoid

== English == === 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”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /əˈvɔɪd/ Hyphenation: a‧void Rhymes: -ɔɪd === Verb === avoid (third-person singular simple present avoids, present participle avoiding, simple past and past participle avoided) (transitive) To try not to meet or communicate with (a person); to shun. (transitive) To stay out of the way of (something harmful). (transitive) To keep away from; to keep clear of; to stay away from. (transitive) To try not to do something or to have something happen. (transitive, obsolete) To make empty; to clear. c. 1395, Wycliffe Bible, Ecclesiasticus 13:6: If thou haue, he shal lyue with thee, and auoide thee out ; and he shal not sorewen vpon thee. (transitive, now law) To make void, to annul; to refute (especially a contract). (transitive, law) To defeat or evade; to invalidate. (transitive, obsolete) To emit or throw out; to void. (transitive, obsolete) To leave, evacuate; to leave as empty, to withdraw or come away from. 1565, Thomas Stapleton (translator), The History of the Church of Englande. Compiled by Venerable Bede, Englishman, Antwerp, Book 5, Chapter 20, pp. 178b-179,[2] […] the bishop commaunded al to auoide the chambre for an houre, and beganne to talke after this manner to his chaplin […] (transitive, obsolete) To get rid of. (intransitive, obsolete) To retire; to withdraw, depart, go away. (intransitive, obsolete) To become void or vacant. ==== Usage notes ==== This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs. ==== Synonyms ==== (to keep away from): See Thesaurus:avoid ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== Further reading ==== “avoid”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.