avoid

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To stay clear of; shun. See Synonyms at escape.
2. v. To keep from happening: avoid illness with rest and a balanced diet.
3. v. Law To annul or make void; invalidate.
4. v. Obsolete To void or expel.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To make void; annul; make of no effect: chiefly used in legal phraseology: as, this grant cannot be avoided without injustice to the grantee.
2. To empty.
3. To eject; throw out; drive out.
4. To quit; evacuate; depart from.
5. To shun; keep away from; eschew: as, to avoid expense, danger, or bad company.
6. To get rid of; get out or clear of.
7. Synonyms To escape, elude, evade, keep clear of.
8. To become void, vacant, or empty.
9. To retire; withdraw.

Wiktionary

1. v. transitive To keep away from; to keep clear of; to endeavor not to meet; to shun; to abstain from; as, to avoid the company of gamesters.
2. v. transitive, obsolete To make empty; to clear.
3. v. transitive To make void, to annul; to refute (especially a contract).
4. v. transitive, law To defeat or evade; to invalidate. Thus, in a replication, the plaintiff may deny the defendant's plea, or confess it, and avoid it by stating new matter.
5. v. transitive, obsolete To emit or throw out; to void; as, to avoid excretions.
6. v. transitive, obsolete To leave, evacuate; to leave as empty, to withdraw or come away from.
7. v. transitive (obsolete) To get rid of.
8. v. intransitive, obsolete To retire; to withdraw, depart, go away.
9. v. intransitive (obsolete) To become void or vacant.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. obsolete To empty.
2. v. obsolete To emit or throw out; to void.
3. v. obsolete To quit or evacuate; to withdraw from.
4. v. To make void; to annul or vacate; to refute.
5. v. To keep away from; to keep clear of; to endeavor no to meet; to shun; to abstain from.
6. v. obsolete To get rid of.
7. v. (Pleading) To defeat or evade; to invalidate. Thus, in a replication, the plaintiff may deny the defendant's plea, or confess it, and avoid it by stating new matter.
8. v. obsolete To retire; to withdraw.
9. v. (Law), obsolete To become void or vacant.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
2. v. stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
3. v. refrain from certain foods or beverages
4. v. declare invalid
5. v. refrain from doing something