🇺🇸
/əˈvɔɪd/
🇺🇸
/əˈvɔɪd/
🇬🇧
/əˈvɔɪd/
🇬🇧
/əˈvɔɪd/
Past Tense
avoided
Past Participle
avoided
Gerund
avoiding
3rd Person
avoids
Avoid means to deliberately stay away from someone or something — whether physically, emotionally, or mentally — to prevent trouble, harm, discomfort, or an unwanted outcome. Think of it like giving something a wide berth: you see the puddle and step around it instead of splashing through.
She avoids spicy food because it gives her heartburn.
Drivers should avoid using their phones while operating a vehicle.
He avoided the topic entirely during the interview, changing the subject twice.
To stay healthy, it's wise to avoid excessive sugar and processed snacks.
The hikers avoided the unstable cliff edge by taking the safer trail.
void
Comes from the Old French 'voide' and ultimately from Latin 'vocare' (to call) via the phrase 'in vacuo' (in emptiness), but more directly from Latin 'vacuus' meaning 'empty, vacant, void'. The root 'void' carries the core idea of emptiness, absence, or nullity. In 'avoid', it functions as a suffixal element meaning 'to make empty of' or 'to clear away from', thus 'a-void' literally means 'to turn away from (so as to leave it empty/uninvolved)'. Examples include void, avoid, unavoidable, voidance, avoidable.
a-
Comes from the Latin prefix 'ab-' (meaning 'away from'), which assimilated to 'a-' before 'v' (as in 'avert', 'avow', 'avoid'). It expresses motion or direction away from something. Examples include avoid, avert, avow, abduct (where 'ab-' remains unchanged before consonants other than 'v').