Avert definition

ə-vûrt
averted averting averts
See word origin
Frequency:
To keep from happening; prevent.

Averted an accident by turning sharply.

verb
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To turn away.

Avert one's eyes.

verb
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To keep from happening; ward off; prevent.

He apologized in order to avert trouble.

verb
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2
The definition of avert is to turn away or to keep something from happening.

Looking away while watching a scary movie is an example of to avert.

Avoiding an argument by keeping quiet is an example of to avert.

verb
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To turn aside or away.

To avert the eyes from an object.

verb
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To ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of.

How can the danger be averted?

verb
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(intransitive, archaic) To turn away.
verb
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(archaic) To turn away.
verb
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To turn away.

To avert one's glance from an ugly sight.

verb
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Origin of avert

  • Middle English averten from Old French avertir from Latin āvertere ā-, ab- away from ab–1 vertere to turn wer-2 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Old French avertir (“turn, direct, avert; turn the attention, make aware”), from Latin āvertere, present active infinitive of āvertō, from ab + vertō (“to turn”).

    From Wiktionary

Avert Sentence Examples

  • She didn't avert her gaze this time.

  • But though he was unable to extract the best results from parliament he was always able to avert its worst excesses.

  • For a while it seemed that even this would not avert a European war.

  • The Christian powers of the Mediterranean did really combine to avert the ruin of Christendom.

  • The repeated efforts made by Pasic to avert so distasteful a decision were held to disqualify him from the leadership of the new united Cabinet, but in order to secure his renunciation it was found necessary to exclude the other party chiefs.

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