Definition of "avert" []

• To turn away: avert one's eyes. (verb-transitive)
• To ward off (something about to happen); prevent: averted an accident by turning sharply. See Synonyms at prevent. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The list of mistakes they tried to avert is familiar, but it bears repeating because of the fresh opportunity to learn from it."
• "May Heaven avert from the Roman republic this national disgrace, which would provoke the patience of the slaves of Persia!"
• "And with the country's fledgling security forces still unable to reign them in, if the militias decide that enough is enough, experts believe civil war would be near impossible to avert, that is, if it hasn't already begun."