avoid

avoid — verb

1. to deliberately not go near a person, place, or thing because you do not want to

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

to deliberately not go near a person, place, or thing because you do not want to meet, see, or be involved with them.

例句

Mei takes the back streets to avoid the busy market on weekends.

avoid + noun (place)

Daniel has been avoiding his ex-girlfriend ever since the awkward dinner last month.

avoid + person (continuous tense)

同義詞
  • shun

    stronger and more formal; suggests deliberately rejecting someone or something

  • dodge

    informal; often suggests cleverly slipping past someone or a question

  • steer clear of

    informal phrase; means to keep a safe distance from

反義詞
  • approach

    to move closer to a person or place

  • confront

    to face someone or a problem directly instead of staying away

文法句型

avoid + noun phrase

avoid + person/place/thing

用法筆記

Object is usually a person, place, or thing the subject chooses not to engage with. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about physical or social distance, not stopping an event.

常見錯誤

❌I avoided to meet her at the party.
✅I avoided meeting her at the party.
💡after 'avoid', use the -ing form, never the to-infinitive.
❌He avoided from the noisy café.
✅He avoided the noisy café.
💡'avoid' is transitive and takes a direct object with no preposition.

2. to take action so a bad event does not occur, or to deliberately choose not to d

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

to take action so a bad event does not occur, or to deliberately choose not to do a certain thing.

例句

Wear a helmet on your bike to avoid serious injury if you fall.

avoid + noun (negative event)

Sofia drinks lots of water to avoid getting headaches at work.

avoid + -ing form

同義詞
  • prevent

    stronger; usually means stopping something from happening at all

  • refrain from

    formal; means choosing not to do something, often briefly

  • sidestep

    often used for skilfully avoiding a question, problem, or rule

反義詞
  • cause

    to make a bad event happen rather than stop it

  • risk

    to do something that could lead to a bad result

文法句型

avoid + -ing verb

avoid + noun (problem/event)

用法筆記

When followed by a verb, that verb must be in the -ing form (gerund), never a to-infinitive. Object is typically something unwanted: a problem, danger, mistake, or unhealthy habit. Distinguish from sense 1: here you stop an event or behaviour, not a person.

常見錯誤

❌You should avoid to eat too much sugar.
✅You should avoid eating too much sugar.
💡'avoid' is always followed by -ing, never to + verb.
❌Wearing a seatbelt avoids you to get hurt.
✅Wearing a seatbelt helps you avoid getting hurt.
💡'avoid' does not take a person + to-infinitive structure.