AVOID, EVADE

AVOID, EVADE

If something is unpleasant or causes you trouble, you can try to avoid it or evade it.

If you avoid a place or a person, you do not go near them. If you avoid doing something, you do not do it, either because it is a bad thing to do or because you do not want to do it. If you avoid something such as illness or a problem, you take action in order to prevent it affecting you.

1. Why have you been avoiding me?
2. Try to avoid carrying more cash around with you than is necessary.
3. Human beings will avoid pain like any other animal.

If you evade something such as a duty, you manage not to do it. If you evade a problem, you do not deal with it. If you evade someone, you do not let them catch you or find you.

4. It might also be used as an excuse for evading our responsibilities.
5. Again Gordon evaded the question.
6. Tim tried to hold her arm but she evaded him.

• Note that if you avoid tax, you find a legal way of paying less; if you evade tax, you do not pay it when you should.

7. Most private forest buyers are using it as a way of avoiding tax on large sums of money.
8. The real delinquents are people like you evading your tax.