Synonyms of avert

avert

verb

ə-ˈvərt 

as in to prevent

to keep from happening by taking action in advance

her careful planning averted disaster

Synonyms & Similar Words

• prevent
• forestall
• avoid
• preclude
• obviate
• help
• provide
• head off
• escape
• anticipate
• stave off
• thwart
• save
• deter
• nullify
• neutralize
• evade
• hinder
• impede
• deflect
• shake
• prohibit
• negate
• shun
• frustrate
• forbid
• hamper
• counteract
• elude
• interfere (with)
• retard
• offset
• stop
• balk
• eschew
• circumvent
• inhibit
• halt
• fend (off)
• ward (off)
• block
• stall
• make up (for)
• counterbalance
• compensate (for)
• foil
• checkmate
• shirk
• dodge
• check
• arrest
• baffle
• bar
• duck

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• assist
• aid
• facilitate
• promote
• encourage
• ease
• abet
• forward
• advance
• let
• allow
• further
• smooth
• permit
• cultivate
• foster
• leave
• unclog
• nurture

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of avert

The United States' announcement of a 25% tariff on auto imports rippled through auto stocks on Thursday, with governments from Ottawa to Paris threatening retaliation even as car companies from BMW to Volkswagen pleaded for deals to avert a trade war. —Victoria Waldersee, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025

Tens of thousands of New York families are at risk of losing access to child care within the next year because of a shortfall in the state budget — a prospect lawmakers and advocates are scrambling to avert. —Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025

Republicans see the price of negotiating with their colleagues across the aisle as too high after Schumer retreated in a fight to avert a government shutdown earlier this month. —Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Mar. 2025

The near government shutdown is one real emergency averted. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025