ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsAavert
ISEE/SSATeasy
avert
Meaning: to prevent something harmful from happening
avert in a sentence
How avert is used in real sentences:
Careful planning helped avert a delay at the station.
The backup generator helped avert a shutdown.
“Moving the press helped avert its capture and preserved the newspaper for Thomas's ultimate aim: enabling the public to judge its rulers.”
— from the passage Ink Before Dawn
Synonyms for avert
Other words for avert — prevent, avoid and forestall — carry the same meaning.
- prevent
- avoid
- forestall
Antonyms of avert
Words that mean the opposite of avert:
- cause
- allow
- provoke
Where it comes from
From Latin avertere 'to turn away' (ab- 'away' + vertere 'to turn').
Word parts
- vert/vers — turn
avert: a- (away) + vert (turn)
Memory hook
To avert trouble is to turn it away before it happens.