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
Synonyms
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
In a bid to avert wider war in the Middle East, the United States and other world leaders are urging Israel to see victory in its unprecedented military face-off with Iran over the weekend.
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Looking to avert that possibility in 2024, former President Donald Trump encouraged Nebraska Republicans to move the state to a winner-take-all system — although the state legislature voted down an attempt to do so on April 3.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Johnson’s tactic to rely on Democrats to fund the government closely mirrors McCarthy's decision to avert a government shutdown with the help of Democrats.
—Kevin McCarthy, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Whether those tugs could have averted the disaster with the Dali already out of control is debatable.
—Joshua Goodman and Richard Lardner, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
But the proceedings stalled as lawmakers negotiated must-pass spending bills and worked to avert a government shutdown.
—Lexie Schapitl, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024
Among others, on February 27, 2024, senior United Nations officials warned the U.N. Security Council of imminent famine in the Gaza Strip, urging immediate action to avert humanitarian disaster.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, there’s a diplomatic scramble to avert full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon.
—Mikhail Klimentov, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
The article describes how an emergency funding bill to avert a government shutdown includes a one-year extension of the Biden administration’s ban on funding UNRWA, the U.N. agency that is the primary distributor of aid to the people of Gaza.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Looking to avert that possibility in 2024, former President Donald Trump encouraged Nebraska Republicans to move the state to a winner-take-all system — although the state legislature voted down an attempt to do so on April 3.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Johnson’s tactic to rely on Democrats to fund the government closely mirrors McCarthy's decision to avert a government shutdown with the help of Democrats.
—Kevin McCarthy, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Whether those tugs could have averted the disaster with the Dali already out of control is debatable.
—Joshua Goodman and Richard Lardner, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
But the proceedings stalled as lawmakers negotiated must-pass spending bills and worked to avert a government shutdown.
—Lexie Schapitl, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024
Among others, on February 27, 2024, senior United Nations officials warned the U.N. Security Council of imminent famine in the Gaza Strip, urging immediate action to avert humanitarian disaster.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, there’s a diplomatic scramble to avert full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon.
—Mikhail Klimentov, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
The article describes how an emergency funding bill to avert a government shutdown includes a one-year extension of the Biden administration’s ban on funding UNRWA, the U.N. agency that is the primary distributor of aid to the people of Gaza.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near avert
Cite this Entry
“Avert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avert. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
avert
verb1
: to turn away
avert one's eyes
2
: to keep from happening
averted an accident
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