avert

to turn away or aside: avert one’s eyes; ward off: to avert evil; prevent: avert an accident

Not to be confused with:

advert – to comment; to refer to: He adverted to the news release.; to turn attention to: The chairman adverted to the agenda.

divert – to turn from a path or course; deflect; to veer: divert one’s talents to trivial pursuits

a·vert

(ə-vûrt′)

tr.v. a·vert·ed, a·vert·ing, a·verts

1. To turn away: avert one's eyes.

2. To keep from happening; prevent: averted an accident by turning sharply. See Synonyms at prevent.

[Middle English averten, from Old French avertir, from Latin āvertere : ā-, ab-, away from; see ab-¹ + vertere, to turn; see wer- in Indo-European roots.]

a·vert′i·ble, a·vert′a·ble adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

avert

(əˈvɜːt)

vb (tr)

1. to turn away or aside: to avert one's gaze.

2. to ward off; prevent from occurring: to avert danger.

[C15: from Old French avertir, from Latin āvertere; see averse]

aˈvertible, aˈvertable adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

a•vert

(əˈvɜrt)

v.t.

1. to turn away or aside: to avert one's eyes.

2. to ward off; prevent: to avert an accident.

[1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French avertir « Latin āvertere=ā- a-⁴ + vertere to turn]

a•vert′er, n.

a•vert′i•ble, a•vert′a•ble, adj.

avert

- Etymologically, it means "to turn away": blows can be averted, but not pain; a snub can be averted, but not a humiliation; violence can be averted, but not damage.

avert

Past participle: averted
Gerund: averting

Imperative
avert
avert

Present
I avert
you avert
he/she/it averts
we avert
you avert
they avert

Preterite
I averted
you averted
he/she/it averted
we averted
you averted
they averted

Present Continuous
I am averting
you are averting
he/she/it is averting
we are averting
you are averting
they are averting

Present Perfect
I have averted
you have averted
he/she/it has averted
we have averted
you have averted
they have averted

Past Continuous
I was averting
you were averting
he/she/it was averting
we were averting
you were averting
they were averting

Past Perfect
I had averted
you had averted
he/she/it had averted
we had averted
you had averted
they had averted

Future
I will avert
you will avert
he/she/it will avert
we will avert
you will avert
they will avert

Future Perfect
I will have averted
you will have averted
he/she/it will have averted
we will have averted
you will have averted
they will have averted

Future Continuous
I will be averting
you will be averting
he/she/it will be averting
we will be averting
you will be averting
they will be averting

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been averting
you have been averting
he/she/it has been averting
we have been averting
you have been averting
they have been averting

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been averting
you will have been averting
he/she/it will have been averting
we will have been averting
you will have been averting
they will have been averting

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been averting
you had been averting
he/she/it had been averting
we had been averting
you had been averting
they had been averting

Conditional
I would avert
you would avert
he/she/it would avert
we would avert
you would avert
they would avert

Past Conditional
I would have averted
you would have averted
he/she/it would have averted
we would have averted
you would have averted
they would have averted

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Verb	1.	avert - prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; "Let's avoid a confrontation"; "head off a confrontation"; "avert a strike" foreclose, forestall, preclude, prevent, forbid - keep from happening or arising; make impossible; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"; "Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project"
	2.	avert - turn away or aside; "They averted their eyes when the King entered" turn - change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense; "Turn towards me"; "The mugger turned and fled before I could see his face"; "She turned from herself and learned to listen to others' needs"

avert

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

avert

verb

1. To change the direction or course of:

2. To prohibit from occurring by advance planning or action:

Translations

يَتَجَنَّب ، يَمْنَع، يَتَفادىيُحَوِّل بَصَرَه

odvrátitzamezit

afværgeforhindre

elfordít

beina burtkoma í veg fyrir

išvengtinukreiptinusukti

novērst

başka tarafa çevirmekönlemekönüne geçmek

avert

[əˈvɜːt] VT

1. (= turn away) [+ eyes, thoughts] → apartar (from de) [+ suspicion] → desviar (from de) [+ possibility] → evitar

2. (= prevent) [+ accident, danger etc] → prevenir

3. (= parry) [+ blows] → desviar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

avert

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

avert

(əˈvəːt) verb

1. to turn away, especially one's eyes. She averted her eyes from the dead animal.

2. to prevent. to avert disaster.