to steer clear of
34
4.0
- phrasal verb
- /stɪr klɪr ʌv/
- Informal
:
evitar
- To stay safe while hiking, you should steer clear of steep cliffs.
- steer clear of politics
- generally steers clear of
To not personalize means to steer clear of that self blame.
- To not personalize means to steer clear of that self blame.
- How, you know, how do we steer clear of that kind of problem?
- Top Dems steer clear of Biden's pardon.
- So I try to steer clear of treading in waters where I'm not an expert.
- But I think online, I think I've sort of I try and steer clear of being too controversial these days.
- Are there any conversations you steer clear of or you say to yourselves, we don't want to be involved?
- This is precisely the kind of person that we should spend our lives steering clear of.
- I might see if I can make it work, but my first instinct is to steer clear of the red eye shadow.
- We've really tried to steer clear of the sweets thing because of like cavities and whatever.
- So she's, I, I predict that she will steer clear of anything that will add to the idea that this ticket is somehow like George McGovern.
Examples
-
Even though it's hard being the new kid you need to try and steer clear of trouble.
-
On the long ride home, I decided it would be best to steer clear of a woman like Helen.
Fiction book (1997) -
How, you know, how do we steer clear of that kind of problem?
-
You basically just said steer clear of people like us.
-
- We'll have to steer clear of them.
-
Just... just steer clear of that woman and her husband, is all.
-
The favor is, steer clear of those guys.
-
What I mean by that is that you should steer clear of it at all times.
Blog text (16) -
Who could blame her, I said, and made up my mind to steer clear of those two.
Fiction book (1990) -
Steer clear of that bozo.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening
590
1.6
Keep a distance from people or things you want to avoid
384
2.3
Avoid going near people or places for safety
187
1.6
Stop someone or something from coming near
127
2.4
To stay away from a place, person, or thing
56
3.8
To avoid getting involved in an argument or fight
38
3.9
Stop something harmful from coming close and causing trouble
32
3.9
To stay away from people or things to avoid close contact
31
1.0
To stay outside a place and not go in
23
8.9
To avoid something on purpose
10
6.3
To avoid getting too close to someone or something, often emotionally
To stay away from trouble and things that cause worry
Antonyms
How Avoidant
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'steer' (to guide) and 'clear' (free from obstruction) combine to suggest guiding oneself or something to a position free of a person/thing, which plausibly yields the sense 'avoid'. However, the fixed collocation 'steer clear of' and the pragmatic sense of deliberate avoidance are partially idiomatic and may not be fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrasal verb steer clear of comes from the image of a driver or sailor turning the wheel to move away from an obstacle so the way becomes clear. That's why to steer clear of someone or something means 'to avoid' or 'to keep away from' danger.