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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
avert
verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
avert a crisis (=stop it happening)
▪ More talks were proposed in an attempt to avert the crisis.
avert your eyesliterary (= look away from something)
▪ He averted his eyes from the body.
avert your gaze (=look away)
▪ Miller averted his eyes from the beggars that lined the streets.
avert/avoid a tragedy (=prevent it from happening)
▪ The owners could have done something to avert the tragedy.
prevent/avert a catastrophe
▪ Sudan requires food immediately to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.
prevent/avert a disaster
▪ They called for an international programme to prevent the disaster happening again.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
narrowly
▪ A second jet disaster was narrowly averted in Bogota on Thursday.
■ NOUN
catastrophe
▪ Computer system users can not control risk management decisions, but suffer big losses when inadequate protection fails to avert catastrophe.
▪ What averted catastrophe was the introduction of widespread electronic communications, especially for education and entertainment.
▪ We are the last generation who can avert this catastrophe.
▪ Are there no other ways of intervening in their environment to avert the catastrophe Walinsky describes?
crisis
▪ Although this agreement averted a government crisis, Marjanne Sint submitted her resignation as PvdA chair over the issue on Aug. 30.
▪ My initial reaction was relief: We had averted another financial crisis.
▪ Nigel Clough did more than anyone to avert a crisis for his old man.
▪ A global concerted effort is required to avert a global health crisis.
danger
▪ We can avert that danger here.
▪ Animals are killed only to avert mystical dangers which cause illness and death.
▪ Paul Deas averted more danger for the home men as he ended a fine run by Neil Duffy.
disaster
▪ At a fairly young age I learnt to sniff out danger and step into choppy conversations to skilfully avert disaster.
▪ The answer may be one or both of these and only a careful rescue package can avert a total disaster.
▪ Leader comment, page 18 Driver averts tanker disaster.
face
▪ Martin waved but Louise averted her face, pretending not to see them.
▪ A pair of University students passing by hastily averted their faces to hide their giggles.
▪ At first we would wince inwardly as eyes were averted from our faces when we opened conversation with another human being.
▪ And, over the years, he had learned to avert his face, to sidestep, to damp down the fires.
▪ He said nothing at all and she averted her face, staring out of the window, hoping he hadn't noticed.
gaze
▪ This may be the wrong time for the party to avert its gaze.
▪ Neither of us cries but we are obviously repressing deep emotions, and peo-ple, sensing this, avert their gaze.
▪ Art, it seems, is the perpetual recidivist, always ducking back into the aesthetic as soon as vigilant life averts its gaze.
▪ In it the artist portrays a disheveled thirty-one-year-old Morisot averting her gaze from the viewer.
▪ I averted my gaze and felt uncomfortable.
▪ He averted his gaze from the Fermoyle house, where Jozia might be watching him this very moment.
▪ No, but I've averted my gaze a few times.
▪ I averted my gaze, taking in a deep breath then just to prove I could.
strike
▪ Leading up to all this, there were days when we spent 30 straight hours trying to avert a strike.
trade
▪ Embattled Mr Major did manage to avert an immediate world trade war.
■ VERB
keep
▪ By and large he kept them averted.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ It may already be too late to avert another disaster.
▪ Talks will be held today in a final attempt to avert strike action.
▪ Using an "automatic train stop" could have averted the disaster.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A pair of University students passing by hastily averted their faces to hide their giggles.
▪ And in response, I promise you that we shall do our best to avert it, or at least contain it.
▪ Another world crisis averted through the high art of diplomacy.
▪ Fears of large-scale coastal flooding were averted as the fierce winds shifted at the last minute.
▪ I avert my eyes and wish I were them.
▪ I averted my gaze, taking in a deep breath then just to prove I could.
▪ The answer may be one or both of these and only a careful rescue package can avert a total disaster.
▪ The information had reached Adamowski and, if it were true, there was no way a scandal could be averted.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Avert

Avert \A*vert"\, v. i. To turn away. [Archaic]

Cold and averting from our neighbor's good.
--Thomson.

Avert

Avert \A*vert"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Averted; p. pr. & vb. n. Averting.] [L. avertere; a, ab + vertere to turn: cf. OF. avertir. See Verse, n.] To turn aside, or away; as, to avert the eyes from an object; to ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of; as, how can the danger be averted? ``To avert his ire.''
--Milton.

When atheists and profane persons do hear of so many discordant and contrary opinions in religion, it doth avert them from the church.
--Bacon.

Till ardent prayer averts the public woe.
--Prior.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
avert

c.1400, from Old French avertir (12c.), "turn, direct; avert; make aware," from Vulgar Latin *advertire, from Latin avertere "to turn away, to drive away," from ab- "from, away" (see ab-) + vertere "to turn" (see versus). Related: Averted; averting.

Wiktionary
avert

vb. 1 (context transitive English) To turn aside or away. 2 (context transitive English) To ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of. 3 (context intransitive archaic English) To turn away. 4 (context transitive archaic English) To turn away.

WordNet
avert
  1. v. prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; "Let's avoid a confrontation"; "head off a confrontation"; "avert a strike" [syn: debar, obviate, deflect, head off, stave off, fend off, avoid, ward off]

  2. turn away or aside; "They averted their eyes when the King entered" [syn: turn away]

Wikipedia
AVERT

AVERT (formerly also known as the AIDS Education and Research Trust) is an international AIDS charity based in Horsham, South East England, United Kingdom.

Usage examples of "avert".

The efforts of the Cortes were chiefly directed to the averting of the catastrophe of a national bankruptcy, which was effected by the acceptation of a loan, conjointly tendered by the Mercantile Association, and the Lisbon bank.

FELLOW-CITIZENS:--When the General Assembly, now about adjourning, assembled in November last, from the bankrupt state of the public treasury, the pecuniary embarrassments prevailing in every department of society, the dilapidated state of the public works, and the impending danger of the degradation of the State, you had a right to expect that your representatives would lose no time in devising and adopting measures to avert threatened calamities, alleviate the distresses of the people, and allay the fearful apprehensions in regard to the future prosperity of the State.

A clothes airer stacked with damp washing, a pram and a bed were crammed up against a cot from which he swiftly averted his attention.

They entered, the Archdeacon carrying a small case, from which Persimmons carefully kept his eyes averted.

He would not look at Evaine, though, and kept his eyes averted until she had turned to face the East, the aspergillum held across her heart.

He looked with surprise at the visitor, and at once averted his face sullenly.

Jane averted her face, his steady look being more than she could bear.

Eliason cast his mantle over his head and averted his face, an elven response to grief.

Alake, who is usually fond of showing off any new jewelry, made no reply and averted her face.

Haplo a sidelong glance, then swiftly averted her gaze and started to pick up his wet trousers.

The glory which accompanies the return of the illustrious warrior to whom I had the honour of opening the path of glory, the striking marks of confidence given him by the legislative body, and the decree of the National Convention, convince me that, to whatever post he may henceforth be called, the dangers to liberty will be averted, and the interests of the army ensured.

Barras, who declared the dangers of liberty averted, or the decree for the removal of the legislative corps, which was passed and executed under the pretext of the existence of imminent peril?

Still, I must say that had he boldly opposed the opinion of Bonaparte in the first burst of his fury he might have averted the blow.

Exterminator whined and tugged on the leash, begging to visit Cole--who studiously averted his gaze.

He flashed Dax a relieved grin, pleased to have averted disaster, however temporarily.