Avoid and Prevent

Avoid

Avoid verb - To get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery.
Usage example: trying to avoid writing thank-you notes for the gifts he didn't like

Prevent is a synonym for avoid in avert topic. In some cases you can use "Prevent" instead a verb "Avoid".

Prevent

Prevent verb - To keep from happening by taking action in advance.
Usage example: a lot of problems would have been prevented if we'd just prepared better

Avoid is a synonym for prevent in stop topic. Sometimes you can use "Avoid" instead a verb "Prevent", if it concerns topics such as avert, keep from happening or continuing.

Common collocations

fire avoid fire prevent fire
attack avoid attack prevent attack
people avoid people prevent people
death avoid death prevent death
Other words: destruction, situation, time, disaster, capture, extinction, damage, confusion, paradox, war, anyone, humans, casualties, attacks, enemies.

Both words in one sentence

  • Interestingly enough in Billy Bat, the titular character, a literal Alien Space Bat, intends to prevent or avoid his world from diverging from our history when it's within his power.
  • Because there is no drama in being too smart or prepared to either avoid or prevent most nasty situations or having already intricately planned for every contingency.
    Source: Rule of Drama
  • The Atoner Nine hundred years later, he's a priest of the Vatican and tries to avoid and prevent killing whenever he can, and is wracked by guilt for his sins.
    Source: The Atoner
Cite this Source
Prevent and Avoid. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/avoid/prevent
Avoid & Prevent. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/avoid/prevent>.
Prevent or Avoid. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/avoid/prevent.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "avoid" and "prevent" have occurred on timeline