as in to prevent
to keep from happening by taking action in advance
her careful planning averted disaster
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of avert
San Diego Unified School District recently averted a one-day strike after reaching a tentative agreement with its teachers.
—
Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Today’s parents grew up in a world where vaccines averted preventable diseases, or at least lessened the toll of those illnesses if infection occurred.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 2 Mar. 2026
The Ducks’ fourth line toiled low in the zone, and after the Jets hustled to avert the threat there, Trouba’s ostensibly harmless fling from the far corner found the net, appearing to hit Winnipeg defenseman Ville Heinola’s stick first.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 28 Feb. 2026
President James Monroe signed the Missouri Compromise, meant to avert a conflict over slavery by equalizing the number of states where the brutal practice was and was not allowed, on March 6, 1820.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for avert
Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Today’s parents grew up in a world where vaccines averted preventable diseases, or at least lessened the toll of those illnesses if infection occurred.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 2 Mar. 2026
The Ducks’ fourth line toiled low in the zone, and after the Jets hustled to avert the threat there, Trouba’s ostensibly harmless fling from the far corner found the net, appearing to hit Winnipeg defenseman Ville Heinola’s stick first.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 28 Feb. 2026
President James Monroe signed the Missouri Compromise, meant to avert a conflict over slavery by equalizing the number of states where the brutal practice was and was not allowed, on March 6, 1820.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for avert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avert
prevent
Verb
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The Democratic senator, who voted for the USMCA trade pact in 2019, is calling for better labor standards, enforcement provisions, wage protections, and updates to origin requirements that prevent China from accessing the North American market through Mexico.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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The finding has the potential to provide a longer runway to make the lifestyle changes that can help reduce risk, and could be used to better identify subjects who could benefit from participating in clinical trials seeking to prevent or treat neurodegenerative disease.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Avert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avert. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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