How to Use avoid in a Sentence

avoid

verb
  • She took a detour to avoid the heavy traffic.
  • Why do you keep avoiding me?
  • He was caught trying to avoid arrest.
  • I am trying to avoid showing any hint of favoritism.
  • He tried hard to avoid accidents.
  • We need to avoid further delays.
  • I'm not going to be late if I can avoid it.
  • How can I avoid paying too much tax?
  • They successfully avoided each other for days.
  • What’s next: The good news is that there’s still plenty of time to avoid default.
    Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Dec. 2022
  • Two players face each other and contort their heads in all sorts of ways to avoid eye contact.
    Alec Lewis, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Why do some people avoid cleaning and laundry on New Year's?
    Amanda Cappelli, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Central bankers today want to avoid a rerun of that painful experience.
    Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2022
  • Marvel wants to avoid handling the upcoming chapters like Phase 4.
    Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 4 Dec. 2022
  • But avoid including anything that conflicts with your legally binding financial will.
    Lisa J. Wise, WIRED, 15 Dec. 2022
  • For those with asthma or lung complications, avoiding contact with outside air, or wearing a mask was encouraged.
    Karen Bartunek, The Arizona Republic, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Hoping to avoid questions about his love life, Peter asks his best friend, Nick, to come home with him for the holidays and pretend to be his boyfriend.
    Leah Campano, Seventeen, 5 Dec. 2022
  • Keep in Mind: To keep them in good condition, avoid using steel wool or citric acid detergent when cleaning the utensils.
    Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Dec. 2022
  • The book’s topic arguably became more important when the coronavirus pandemic struck and people stocked up to avoid going out.
    Marc Bona, cleveland, 6 Dec. 2022
  • That's because choices are limited to avoid sugars and carbohydrates, so your body can maintain a state of ketosis.
    Zee Krstic, Good Housekeeping, 6 Dec. 2022
  • Actual prices empower consumers to avoid such overcharging in favor of fair market alternatives.
    Cynthia A. Fisher, Fortune, 6 Dec. 2022
  • Officials urge residents to avoid coastal areas, stay informed about conditions and prioritize safety.
    Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
  • The Tigers hope to avoid the sweep with Alex Faedo getting the nod on the mound.
    Jenna Malinowski, Detroit Free Press, 23 July 2023
  • The current is your friend; use it to drift your fly to the fish to avoid spooking.
    Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 24 Apr. 2024
  • To do this, avoid cutting all the way through when trimming off the base of each rib.
    Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Is one day enough at Disneyland?:No, and here's why Disney fans may want to avoid it.
    Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2023
  • This will be valuable to avoid the drama and not to let anyone put you in a mood.
    Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 17 Aug. 2024
  • The two cousins avoid each other and don’t appear to be speaking.
    Amy Dickinson, oregonlive, 22 July 2023
  • Lastly, avoid the sun, since UV rays can cause color to fade.
    Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 3 Oct. 2024
  • Sheldon will play at Sprague, looking to avoid a 0-3 start to the season.
    Nikstreng, oregonlive, 9 Sep. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'avoid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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