What does avert mean?
Avert is a formal English verb with two closely related senses: to turn away, especially one's eyes, gaze, or thoughts, and to prevent something undesirable from happening. In the first sense it usually appears reflexively, as in 'she averted her eyes' when confronting something unpleasant or embarrassing. In the second, more frequent sense, it collocates strongly with words denoting misfortune — averted disasters, averted crises, averted strikes, averted famines — and is a staple of news reporting about dangers narrowly escaped. The word derives from the Latin 'avertere', meaning 'to turn away', formed from 'ab-' ('away') and 'vertere' ('to turn'); this same root underlies 'averse', 'aversion', and 'adversary'. Because it implies that a bad outcome was actively kept from occurring, avert carries a connotation of successful intervention, often at the last moment. Writers choose it over plainer alternatives like 'prevent' when they want to suggest a specific, imminent threat that was skillfully deflected rather than merely stopped.
To turn away (one's eyes, gaze, or thoughts) from something.
"He averted his eyes from the gruesome photographs."
Usually used reflexively with a body part or with 'one's thoughts'.
To prevent or ward off something undesirable, such as a danger or crisis.
"Emergency talks averted a national strike."
Common in journalistic and formal writing about narrowly avoided disasters.
Avert comes from the Latin for 'to turn away' — the same turning-away root that gives us 'adversary', literally someone turned against you.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of avert
Avert entered English in the late Middle Ages, borrowed from the Latin 'avertere', which combines 'ab-' ('away from') and 'vertere' ('to turn'), so its literal sense is 'to turn away'. Its earliest English uses concerned physically or mentally turning away — the gaze, the face, the mind — and the preventive sense of warding off calamity developed from the idea of turning trouble aside. The same Latin root gives English a family of related words, including 'averse', 'aversion', 'reverse', 'convert', and 'adversary', all built on 'vertere', 'to turn'.
Related word forms
How avert is actually used
Formal to neutral in register; common in journalism and official statements about disasters and crises. The 'turn away' sense typically appears in reflexive constructions with body parts ('avert his eyes').
Easily confused with avert
An 'advert' (chiefly British) is an advertisement, whereas 'avert' means to turn away or prevent; the two differ by one letter but share nothing in meaning.