Examples: "talks narrowly a war," "salt on an icy sidewalk averts accidents," "he sped up and averted an accident" [5.3, 5.4, 5.6]. To Turn Away (Eyes or Thoughts):
While often used interchangeably, there is a nuance:
is more passive, often meaning to keep away from, stay away from, or refrain from a situation [5.2].
This implies active effort to stop a disaster, tragedy, or crisis [5.2, 5.5].
Prevent, ward off, stop, avoid, head off, derail [5.3, 5.6].
implies a direct, active effort to stop a specific, impending negative outcome [5.2, 5.3].
Key Difference: You avert a crisis you are facing, but you avoid a situation that could lead to one [5.2].
This refers to the physical act of looking away from something undesirable or turning one's mind from a distressing thought [5.1, 5.5].
Examples: "talks narrowly a war," "salt on an icy sidewalk averts accidents," "he sped up and averted an accident" [5.3, 5.4, 5.6]. To Turn Away (Eyes or Thoughts):
While often used interchangeably, there is a nuance:
is more passive, often meaning to keep away from, stay away from, or refrain from a situation [5.2].
This implies active effort to stop a disaster, tragedy, or crisis [5.2, 5.5].
Prevent, ward off, stop, avoid, head off, derail [5.3, 5.6].
implies a direct, active effort to stop a specific, impending negative outcome [5.2, 5.3].
Key Difference: You avert a crisis you are facing, but you avoid a situation that could lead to one [5.2].
This refers to the physical act of looking away from something undesirable or turning one's mind from a distressing thought [5.1, 5.5].
