averted; averting; averts

transitive verb

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
2
: 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 Meanwhile, there’s a diplomatic scramble to avert full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon. Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024 Washington — The House passed a massive spending package on Friday to fully fund the government through September, sending it to the Senate ahead of a midnight deadline to avert a partial shutdown. Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024 Passage of the bill, just hours ahead of Saturday’s 12:01 a.m. shutdown deadline, set off a sprint in the Senate to avert a lapse in funding. Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Four days before Putin gave the order, Macron, desperation in his voice, tried to test the Russian president’s interest in a diplomatic arrangement that could avert all-out war. Daniel Depetris, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024 The district is also exploring other measures to avert the unexpected financial crisis, including a state loan as early as this summer, and potentially asking district voters later this year to raise school taxes. Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024 Why time is running out to avert it, despite agreement on DHS funding The ideological makeup of the state’s GOP electorate was important in the Senate race, as well as the share of white evangelical Christians – a core Trump group in previous primaries this year, alongside strong conservatives. Gary Langer, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 Lawmakers are racing to secure a deal on the final set of spending bills needed to fund the government long term and avert a partial shutdown, but last-minute issues are slowing down negotiations. USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile states are responsible for regulating their own insurance markets, to avert situations where insurers can exploit vulnerabilities in the market and raise rates unreasonably. Amy Green, WIRED, 16 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French avertir, from Latin avertere, from ab- + vertere to turn — more at worth

First Known Use

circa 1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of avert was circa 1563

Dictionary Entries Near avert

Cite this Entry

“Avert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avert. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

avert

verb
1
: to turn away
avert one's eyes
2
: to keep from happening
averted an accident

More from Merriam-Webster on avert

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