1. turn away (one's eyes or thoughts): "she averted her eyes during the more violent scenes"Similarturn asideturn awayturn to one side
2. prevent or ward off (an undesirable occurrence):"talks failed to avert a rail strike"Similarpreventstopavoidnip in the budstave offhead offward offforestallpreclude
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘divert or deter someone from a place or a course of action’): from Latin avertere, from ab- ‘from’ + vertere ‘to turn’; reinforced by Old French avertir.