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AH020387 Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary

Avert

Question 1:

Can avert mean both "avoid" and "prevent"?

Question 2:

"Avert" is mostly (in everyday conversation) used to mean "avoid" or "prevent"?
  

Top answer

(in most cases) Avoid=to keep oneself out of the way of. Eg: Jim avoided the open manhole, averting a nasty fall. Avert= to prevent or ward off a danger.

— Prajwalkr

  • (in most cases) Avoid=to keep oneself out of the way of.
  • Eg: Jim avoided the open manhole, averting a nasty fall.
  • Avert= to prevent or ward off a danger.
  • Only thing is that 'prevent' is usually something you do to someone else.
  • 'Avert' is something you do yourself.
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2 Answers
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Hi
1.Avert is more or less synonymus with prevent only.(in most cases)
Avoid=to keep oneself out of the way of. Eg: Jim avoided the open manhole, averting a nasty fall.
Avert= to prevent or ward off a danger.

Only thing is that 'prevent' is usually something you do to someone else. 'Avert' is something you do yourself.
Eg: I prevented him from killing the spider.
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Can avert mean both "avoid" and "prevent"? NO (at least not technically).

The definition of avert is:
1 turn away (one's eyes or thoughts) : she averted her eyes during the more violent scenes.
2 prevent or ward off (an undesirable occurrence) : talks failed to avert a rail strike.
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