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
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
The periods between these evolutionary steps present opportunities to slow this process and possibly avert a global disaster.
—Ron Barrett, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2025
Yet the decree was soon averted in the most Trumpian of ways: with a deal.
—Calvin Woodward, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
In 1983, a potential nuclear exchange was averted when an officer in the Soviet Air Defence Force, Stanislav Petrov, correctly assessed that a signal of an incoming missile attack was a false alarm and did not trigger an urgent warning to his chain of command.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Trump had previously demanded that a provision raising or suspending the debt limit -- something that his own party routinely resists -- be included in legislation to avert the last potential government shutdown.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avert
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Ron Barrett, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2025
Yet the decree was soon averted in the most Trumpian of ways: with a deal.
—Calvin Woodward, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
In 1983, a potential nuclear exchange was averted when an officer in the Soviet Air Defence Force, Stanislav Petrov, correctly assessed that a signal of an incoming missile attack was a false alarm and did not trigger an urgent warning to his chain of command.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Trump had previously demanded that a provision raising or suspending the debt limit -- something that his own party routinely resists -- be included in legislation to avert the last potential government shutdown.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avert
Cite this Entry
“Avert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avert. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
avert
verb1
: to turn away
avert one's eyes
2
: to keep from happening
averted an accident
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