averted; averting; averts
1
: to turn away or aside (the eyes, one's gaze, etc.) in avoidance
I found the sight so grotesque that I had to avert my eyes …—
John Gregory Dunne
John Gregory Dunne2
: to see coming and ward off : avoid
avert disaster
Examples of avert in a Sentence
He sped up and averted an accident.
The diplomatic talks narrowly averted a war.
an attempt to avert a strike at the plant
Recent Examples on the Web
So, the tariffs will be averted.
—ABC News, 26 Oct. 2025
Broadway musicians have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, averting the possibility of a strike.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
The government has also followed through on Vought’s earlier threat to fire a massive number of civil servants if the shutdown were not averted.
—Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 20 Oct. 2025
Since then, a nonprofit called Mirror Biology Dialogues Fund has sponsored a series of meetings to develop recommendations aimed at averting the threat scientists think mirror life could pose.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avert
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ABC News, 26 Oct. 2025
Broadway musicians have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, averting the possibility of a strike.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
The government has also followed through on Vought’s earlier threat to fire a massive number of civil servants if the shutdown were not averted.
—Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 20 Oct. 2025
Since then, a nonprofit called Mirror Biology Dialogues Fund has sponsored a series of meetings to develop recommendations aimed at averting the threat scientists think mirror life could pose.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avert
Cite this Entry
“Avert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avert. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
avert
verb1
: to turn away
avert one's eyes
2
: to keep from happening
averted an accident
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