- avoid
- verb1 prevent sth; choose not to do sthADVERB▪ altogether▪
It is sometimes impossible to avoid conflict altogether.
▪ actively, assiduously, carefully, consciously, deliberately, intentionally, purposefully, purposely, scrupulously, studiously▪The two men carefully avoided one another.
▪I scrupulously avoid artificial additives when I buy food.
▪ barely, narrowly▪They narrowly avoided defeat in the semi-final.
▪ deftly, wisely▪He deftly avoided answering the question.
▪ pointedly▪She pointedly avoided looking at him when she spoke.
▪ easily, successfully▪Most of these problems could have been easily avoided.
▪ generally, largely▪As someone who generally avoids teen movies, I didn't expect to enjoy this.
▪ at all costs▪Getting involved in a court case is something to be avoided at all costs.
VERB + AVOID▪ be anxious to, want to, wish to▪They are anxious to avoid any further misunderstandings.
▪ attempt to, try to▪ be careful to, take care to▪He was careful to avoid any sentimentality in his speech.
▪ help (to)▪ be able to, manage to▪ be possible to▪ be difficult to, be impossible toPHRASES▪ an attempt to avoid sth, an effort to avoid sth▪He failed in his attempt to avoid having to pay.
2 not hit sb/sthADVERB▪ narrowly▪He braked hard and narrowly avoided a parked van.
VERB + AVOID▪ brake to, slow to, slow down to▪ swerve to▪She swerved to avoid a bicycle.
▪ duck to, duck down to▪They ducked to avoid a low branch.
Avoid is used with these nouns as the object: ↑accident, ↑alcohol, ↑ambiguity, ↑annihilation, ↑appearance, ↑arrest, ↑attention, ↑bankruptcy, ↑bias, ↑bloodshed, ↑blow, ↑boredom, ↑build-up, ↑capture, ↑carbohydrate, ↑casualty, ↑catastrophe, ↑censure, ↑chaos, ↑charge, ↑clash, ↑cliché, ↑collapse, ↑collision, ↑complication, ↑conflict, ↑confrontation, ↑confusion, ↑congestion, ↑conscription, ↑contact, ↑contamination, ↑controversy, ↑conversation, ↑crash, ↑creation, ↑creditor, ↑crisis, ↑criticism, ↑crowd, ↑damage, ↑danger, ↑death, ↑defeat, ↑dehydration, ↑delay, ↑destiny, ↑destruction, ↑detection, ↑difficulty, ↑disadvantage, ↑disagreement, ↑disappointment, ↑disaster, ↑discord, ↑dispute, ↑disruption, ↑distortion, ↑distraction, ↑distress, ↑draft, ↑duplication, ↑duty, ↑effect, ↑embarrassment, ↑encounter, ↑error, ↑excess, ↑expense, ↑exposure, ↑extradition, ↑extreme, ↑failure, ↑fat, ↑fate, ↑fatigue, ↑fire, ↑food, ↑gaze, ↑hazard, ↑impression, ↑incident, ↑inconvenience, ↑infection, ↑influence, ↑injury, ↑interference, ↑issue, ↑jail, ↑jargon, ↑liability, ↑limelight, ↑litigation, ↑mention, ↑mishap, ↑mistake, ↑misunderstanding, ↑necessity, ↑need, ↑obstacle, ↑penalty, ↑peril, ↑persecution, ↑pitfall, ↑pollution, ↑pregnancy, ↑prison, ↑problem, ↑prosecution, ↑publicity, ↑punishment, ↑question, ↑recession, ↑recognition, ↑recourse, ↑recurrence, ↑reduction, ↑redundancy, ↑reference, ↑repetition, ↑responsibility, ↑rigour, ↑risk, ↑rush, ↑scandal, ↑scrutiny, ↑showdown, ↑situation, ↑stagnation, ↑starvation, ↑stigma, ↑stress, ↑subject, ↑suspicion, ↑tax, ↑taxation, ↑temptation, ↑traffic, ↑tragedy, ↑trap, ↑trouble, ↑urge, ↑violation, ↑wastage, ↑waste, ↑worst, ↑wrath
Collocations dictionary. 2013.