| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | refrain or stay away from; prevent |
| Synonyms: | abstain, avert, bypass, circumlocute, circumvent, deflect, desist, ditch, divert, dodge, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade, fake out, fend off, flee, give the slip, hide, hold off, jump, keep clear, lay low, obviate, recoil, run for cover, shake, shake and bake, shake off, shirk, shrink from, shuffle off, shun, shy, sidestep, skip out on, skip town, skip*, skirt, stay away, stay out, steer clear of, step aside, turn aside, ward off, weave, withdraw |
| Notes: | avert means 'prevent, turn away' and avoid means 'stay clear of, shun' |
| Antonyms: | face, meet, seek, want |
| Main Entry: | dodge |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | avoid |
| Synonyms: | circumlocute, dark, deceive, ditch, duck, elude, equivocate, escape, evade, fence, fend off, fudge, get around, get out of, give the slip, hedge, juke, lurch, malinger, move to the side, parry, pussyfoot, put the move on, shake, shake off, shift, shirk, short-circuit, shuffle, sidestep, skip out on, skirt, slide, slip, swerve, tergiversate, tergiverse, trick, turn aside, weasel |
| Antonyms: | confront, encounter, face, meet, stand up to |
| Main Entry: | elude |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | avoid; escape |
| Synonyms: | baffle, be beyond someone, beat around the bush, bilk, circumvent, confound, cop out, ditch, dodge, double, duck, eschew, evade, flee, fly, foil, frustrate, get around, get away from, give the runaround, give the slip, give wide berth to, hem and haw, not touch, outrun, outwit, pass the buck, pass up, puzzle, run around, shirk, shuck, shun, shy, stall, stay shy of, steer clear of, stonewall, stump, thwart |
| Notes: | elude means to escape or evade from while allude means to make a more or less indirect reference to |
| Antonyms: | attract, confront, encounter, entice, face, invite, meet, take on |
| Main Entry: | foil |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | circumvent, nip in the bud |
| Synonyms: | baffle, balk, beat, bilk, bollix, buffalo, check, checkmate, counter, crab, cramp, crimp, curb, dash, defeat, disappoint, disconcert, ditch, dodge, duck, elude, faze, foul up, frustrate, get around, give the run-around, give the slip, hang up, hinder, juke, nullify, outwit, prevent, rattle, restrain, run circles around, run rings around, shake, shake off, shuffle off, skip, stop, stymie, throw monkey wrench in, thwart, upset the apple cart |
| Notes: | a fencing sword with a bowl-shaped guard and flexible blade is an épée; the one with a circular guard is a foil |
| Antonyms: | abet, aid, assist, help |
| Main Entry: | leave |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | depart, abandon physically |
| Synonyms: | abscond, beat it, break away, clear out, come away, cut out, decamp, defect, desert, disappear, ditch*, elope, embark, emigrate, escape, exit, flee, flit, fly, forsake, give the slip, go, go away, go forth, head out, issue, migrate, move, move out, part, pull out, push off, quit, relinquish, remove oneself, retire, ride off, run along, sally, say goodbye, scram, set out, slip out, split*, start, step down, take a hike, take leave, take off, vacate, vamoose, vanish, walk out, withdraw |
| Notes: | let means to make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen, to allow; leave means to go away from a place |
| Antonyms: | come, go |
| Main Entry: | lose |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | escape, avoid |
| Synonyms: | clear, dodge, duck, elude, evade, give the slip, leave behind, outrun, rid, shake, shake off, slip away, stray, throw off, unburden, wander from |
| Notes: | loose means not restrained, fastened, confined or attached, while lose means fail to keep or to maintain or fail to win |
| Antonyms: | confront, face, meet |
| Main Entry: | shake off |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | lose by getting away |
| Synonyms: | clear, dislodge, drop, elude, get away from, get rid of, give the slip, leave behind, remove, rid oneself of, throw off, unburden |
| Antonyms: | appear, present |
| Main Entry: | sidestep |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | dodge |
| Synonyms: | avoid, bypass, dance around, ditch, duck, elude, escape, evade, fudge, get around, get out of, give the slip, go around, juke, pussyfoot, put the move on, shake, shake off, shirk, skip out on, skirt, weasel |
| Main Entry: | throw off |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | elude, escape |
| Synonyms: | abuse, deceive, evade, get away from, give the slip, leave behind, lose, outdistance, outrun, shake off, trick |
| Antonyms: | face, meet |