avoided

Avoided is the past tense and past participle of the verb avoid. In general, to avoid something is to keep it at a distance, to prevent it from happening, or to refrain from doing something. The nuance ranges from physical shunning of a person or place to strategic or preventive choices intended to steer clear of risk, harm, or unwanted outcomes.

Etymology and history: The word comes from Old French eviter, from Latin evitare, formed from ex- “out” and videre “to see.” The sense of turning away or shunning developed in English during the Middle Ages, with avoidance reinforcing the idea of steering clear of something undesirable.

Usage and grammar: Avoid is a transitive verb that typically takes a direct object or a gerund. Examples: “They avoided the topic.” “She avoided the crowd.” It can also take a gerund clause: “avoiding eating late.” The passive form “The topic was avoided” is also common. Related forms include avoidance (noun), avoidable (adjective), and unavoidable (adjective).

Collocations and nuance: Common phrases include avoid contact, avoid injury, avoid temptation, and avoid doing something. Avoid conveys intention and planning to prevent a particular outcome, rather than merely failing to act. It is distinct from evade, which often implies escaping pursuit, responsibility, or legal scrutiny.

See also: avoidance, avoidable, unavoidable, evasion, shun, dodge. In usage, avoid is a versatile verb for expressing deliberate prevention or restraint in everyday language.