Avert

Pronunciation: /əˈvɜrt/

Definitions of avert

verb to turn away or prevent something from happening

Example Sentences

A1 She tried to avert her eyes from the scary movie.

A2 The teacher averted a potential conflict between two students.

B1 The government took steps to avert a financial crisis.

B2 The pilot was able to avert a disaster by making a quick decision.

C1 The CEO averted a hostile takeover of the company.

C2 The diplomat's negotiation skills helped avert a war between the two countries.

Examples of avert in a Sentence

formal The new safety measures were implemented to avert any potential accidents in the workplace.

informal I had to quickly avert my eyes when I saw something embarrassing happening.

slang She managed to avert a disaster by thinking on her feet.

figurative His quick thinking helped avert a crisis during the meeting.

Grammatical Forms of avert

• past tense: averted
• plural: averts
• comparative: more averted
• superlative: most averted
• present tense: avert
• future tense: will avert
• perfect tense: have averted
• continuous tense: is averting
• singular: avert
• positive degree: avert
• infinitive: to avert
• gerund: averting
• participle: averted

Origin and Evolution of avert

First Known Use: 1400 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'avert' originated from the Latin word 'avertēre', which means to turn away or ward off.

Evolution of the word: Over time, 'avert' has retained its original meaning of turning away or preventing something from happening, but it has also come to be used in a more figurative sense to mean avoiding or preventing a negative outcome.