Wordul · all words

verb · 2 syllables · /əˈvɔɪd/

AVOID

What does "AVOID" mean?

To keep away from or refrain from something; to prevent it from happening.

Meanings

  1. To keep away from, stay clear of, or refrain from. We took the back roads to avoid the traffic.
  2. In law, to render null or invalidate (a contract or judgment). The court found grounds to avoid the disputed will. technical

Did you know?

  • To 'avoid' once meant to empty something out: the word grew from the same Old French root as 'void', so its oldest sense was clearing a space rather than dodging a thing.

Word origin

From Anglo-French 'avoider', from Old French 'esvuidier' ('to empty out'), built on 'vuide' ('empty', source of 'void'); to avoid first meant to clear or empty a space.

Remember it

AVOID contains VOID - to avoid is to leave a void where the thing would have been.

A little poem

He steered each year around the harder road,
and reached the end with nothing but the void.

couplet

Wordplay

  • I'm reading a book on how to avoid empty spaces. It's mostly about how 'avoid' literally means to make a void.

What it teaches

Every detour you take to avoid the hard road quietly draws the map of your life.

Quick facts

What does AVOID mean?

To keep away from or refrain from something; to prevent it from happening.

Is AVOID a valid word?

Yes — AVOID is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is AVOID?

AVOID has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does AVOID come from?

From Anglo-French 'avoider', from Old French 'esvuidier' ('to empty out'), built on 'vuide' ('empty', source of 'void'); to avoid first meant to clear or empty a space.

What can AVOID teach us?

Every detour you take to avoid the hard road quietly draws the map of your life.

How players do

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