Avoid
- Avoid
- Avoid A*void", v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Avoided}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Avoiding}.] [OF. esvuidier, es (L. ex) + vuidier, voidier,
to empty. See {Void}, a.]
1. To empty. [Obs.] --Wyclif.
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2. To emit or throw out; to void; as, to avoid excretions.
[Obs.] --Sir T. Browne.
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3. To quit or evacuate; to withdraw from. [Obs.]
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Six of us only stayed, and the rest avoided
the room. --Bacon.
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4. To make void; to annul or vacate; to refute.
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How can these grants of the king's be avoided?
--Spenser.
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5. To keep away from; to keep clear of; to endeavor no to
meet; to shun; to abstain from; as, to avoid the company
of gamesters.
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What need a man forestall his date of grief.
And run to meet what he would most avoid ? --Milton.
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He carefully avoided every act which could goad them
into open hostility. --Macaulay.
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6. To get rid of. [Obs.] --Shak.
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7. (Pleading) To defeat or evade; to invalidate. Thus, in a
replication, the plaintiff may deny the defendant's plea,
or confess it, and avoid it by stating new matter.
--Blackstone.
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Syn: To escape; elude; evade; eschew.
Usage: To {Avoid}, {Shun}. Avoid in its commonest sense
means, to keep clear of, an extension of the meaning,
to withdraw one's self from. It denotes care taken not
to come near or in contact; as, to avoid certain
persons or places. Shun is a stronger term, implying
more prominently the idea of intention. The words may,
however, in many cases be interchanged.
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No man can pray from his heart to be kept from
temptation, if the take no care of himself to
avoid it. --Mason.
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So Chanticleer, who never saw a fox,
Yet shunned him as a sailor shuns the rocks.
--Dryden.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
2000.
Synonyms:
Look at other dictionaries:
avoid — vt [modification of Old French esvuider to destroy, literally, to empty, from es out + vuider to empty] 1: to make void or undo: annul the trustee may avoid any transfer of interest of the debtor in property U.S. Code 2: to respond to (an… … Law dictionary
avoid — a‧void [əˈvɔɪd] verb [transitive] TAX LAW if you avoid tax, you manage to not pay it legally, for example by the way that you enter profits or losses into your accounts: • Investing in this way allows savers to avoid tax upon withdrawal. compare… … Financial and business terms
avoid — avoid; avoid·a·ble; un·avoid·abil·i·ty; avoid·ant; avoid·ance; avoid·a·bly; un·avoid·able·ness; … English syllables
avoid — [ə void′] vt. [ME avoiden < Anglo Fr avoider < OFr esvuidier, to empty < es (< L ex ), out + vuidier: see VOID] 1. to make void; annul, invalidate, or quash (a plea, etc. in law) 2. to keep away from; evade; shun [to avoid crowds] 3.… … English World dictionary
avoid — avoid, avert, evade Avoid and evade overlap in meaning, but evade has a stronger sense of guile or trickery in escaping from an obligation (such as paying income tax). Avert means ‘to turn aside’ (which is its literal meaning in averting one s… … Modern English usage
Avoid — A*void , v. i. 1. To retire; to withdraw. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] David avoided out of his presence. 1 Sam. xviii. 11. [1913 Webster] 2. (Law) To become void or vacant. [Obs.] Ayliffe. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
avoid — (v.) c.1300, from Anglo Fr. avoider to clear out, withdraw (oneself), partially anglicized from O.Fr. esvuidier to empty out, from es out (see EX (Cf. ex )) + vuidier to be empty, from voide empty, vast, wide, hollow, waste (see VOID (Cf … Etymology dictionary
avoid — *escape, shun, eschew, evade, elude Analogous words: avert, ward, *prevent, obviate: forestall, anticipate (see PREVENT): flee, fly (see ESCAPE) Antonyms: face: meet Contrasted words: *incur, contract, catch: court, solicit, * … New Dictionary of Synonyms
avoid — [v] refrain or stay away from; prevent abstain, avert, bypass, circumlocute, circumvent, deflect, desist, ditch, divert, dodge, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade, fake out*, fend off, flee, give the slip*, hide, hold off, jump, keep clear, lay… … New thesaurus
avoid — ► VERB 1) keep away or refrain from. 2) prevent from doing or happening. DERIVATIVES avoidable adjective avoidably adverb avoidance noun. ORIGIN Old French evuider clear out, get rid of … English terms dictionary