avenge /əve ndʒ/ (avenges , avenging , avenged ) VERB If you avenge a wrong or harmful act, you hurt or punish the person who is responsible for it. □ [V n] He has devoted the past five years to avenging his daughter's death. □ [V pron-refl] She had decided to avenge herself and all the other women he had abused.
av|enue /æ v I njuː, [AM ] -nuː/ (avenues )
1 N‑COUNT Avenue is sometimes used in the names of streets. The written abbreviation Ave. is also used. □ …the most expensive stores on Park Avenue.
2 N‑COUNT An avenue is a wide, straight road, especially one with trees on either side.
3 N‑COUNT An avenue is a way of getting something done. □ [+ of ] Talbot was presented with 80 potential avenues of investigation.
aver /əvɜː r / (avers , averring , averred ) VERB If you aver that something is the case, you say very firmly that it is true. [FORMAL ] □ [V that] He avers that chaos will erupt if he loses. □ [V with quote] 'Entertaining is something that everyone in the country can enjoy,' she averred. [Also V ]
av|er|age ◆◆◇ /æ vər I dʒ/ (averages , averaging , averaged )
1 N‑COUNT An average is the result that you get when you add two or more numbers together and divide the total by the number of numbers you added together. □ [+ of ] Take the average of those ratios and multiply by a hundred. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Average is also an adjective. □ The average price of goods rose by just 2.2%.
2 N‑SING You use average to refer to a number or size that varies but is always approximately the same. □ [+ of ] It takes an average of ten weeks for a house sale to be completed.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] An average person or thing is typical or normal. □ The average adult man burns 1,500 to 2,000 calories per day.
4 N‑SING An amount or quality that is the average is the normal amount or quality for a particular group of things or people. □ Most areas suffered more rain than usual, with Northern Ireland getting double the average for the month. ● ADJ Average is also an adjective. □ £2.20 for a coffee is average. □ …a woman of average height.
5 ADJ Something that is average is neither very good nor very bad, usually when you had hoped it would be better. □ I was only average academically.
6 VERB To average a particular amount means to do, get, or produce that amount as an average over a period of time. □ [V n] We averaged 42 miles per hour.
7 PHRASE You say on average or on an average to indicate that a number is the average of several numbers. □ American shares rose, on average, by 38%.
8 PHRASE If you say that something is true on average , you mean that it is generally true. □ On average, American firms remain the most productive in the world.
9 law of averages → see law
▸ average out PHRASAL VERB If a set of numbers average out to a particular figure or if you average them out to that figure, their average is calculated to be that figure. □ [V P + to/at ] Last year the Police lost nearly 27,000 hours to sick leave, which averages out at eight days per officer. □ [V n P ] Averaging it out between us there's less than £10 a month each to live on. [Also V P n]
averse /əvɜː r s/ ADJ [usu with neg] If you say that you are not averse to something, you mean that you quite like it or quite want to do it. [FORMAL ] □ [+ to ] He's not averse to publicity, of the right kind.
aver|sion /əvɜː r ʃ ə n, [AM ] -ʒ ə n/ (aversions ) N‑VAR If you have an aversion to someone or something, you dislike them very much. □ [+ to/for ] Many people have a natural and emotional aversion to insects.
avert /əvɜː r t/ (averts , averting , averted )
1 VERB If you avert something unpleasant, you prevent it from happening. □ [V n] Talks with the teachers' union over the weekend have averted a strike.
2 VERB If you avert your eyes or gaze from someone or something, you look away from them. [Also V n from n]
a|vi|an flu /e I viən fluː/ N‑UNCOUNT Avian flu is a serious illness that can be transmitted to people from chickens, ducks, and other birds.
aviary /e I vjəri/ (aviaries ) N‑COUNT An aviary is a large cage or covered area in which birds are kept.
avia|tion /e I vie I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT Aviation is the operation and production of aircraft.
avia|tor /e I vie I tə r / (aviators ) N‑COUNT An aviator is a pilot of a plane, especially in the early days of flying. [OLD-FASHIONED ]
avid /æ v I d/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use avid to describe someone who is very enthusiastic about something that they do. □ He misses not having enough books because he's an avid reader. ● av|id|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Thank you for a most entertaining magazine, which I read avidly each month.
2 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you say that someone is avid for something, you mean that they are very eager to get it. □ [+ for ] He was intensely eager, indeed avid, for wealth. ● av|id|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Western suppliers too are competing avidly for business abroad.
avi|on|ics /e I viɒ n I ks/ N‑UNCOUNT Avionics is the science of electronics used in aviation. [TECHNICAL ]