to avoid
Loading your saved state.
to avoid
To consciously and deliberately stay away from or avoid contact with a person, place, situation, or thing.
Seit dem großen Streit meiden sich die beiden ehemaligen Freunde.
Since the big argument, the two former friends have been avoiding each other.
The verb 'meiden' (to avoid) always needs a direct object in the accusative. No preposition is used to name the person or thing that one avoids.
Ich meide überfüllte Orte, weil ich keine Menschenmassen mag.
I avoid crowded places because I don't like crowds.
You can avoid both people and abstract things. Typical objects are: 'Konflikte meiden' (to avoid conflicts), 'Risiken meiden' (to avoid risks), 'den Blickkontakt meiden' (to avoid eye contact), 'die Öffentlichkeit meiden' (to avoid the public), or 'eine Person meiden' (to avoid a person).
Der scheue Künstler meidet die Öffentlichkeit so gut es geht.
The shy artist avoids the public as much as possible.
'Meiden' (to avoid) belongs more to written or somewhat elevated language. It often sounds more deliberate and formal than other expressions with a similar meaning.
In seinem Brief schrieb er, dass er den Kontakt zu seiner Familie meiden werde.
In his letter, he wrote that he would avoid contact with his family.
to avoid
'vermeiden' and 'meiden' are very close because both mean that you consciously do not want something or stay away from it. But 'vermeiden' is broader and often fits actions, consequences, or problems: 'einen Fehler vermeiden' (to avoid a mistake), 'Stress vermeiden' (to avoid stress), 'einen Unfall vermeiden' (to avoid an accident). 'meiden' is used especially for people, places, situations, or things that you do not want to have contact with. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with distance and caution. What often sounds natural is: you avoid a mistake, but you avoid / stay away from a person or a dangerous place.
Wegen des Lärms meidet Maria am Wochenende die Innenstadt.
Because of the noise, Maria avoids the city center on weekends.
Im Bus hat der Fahrer eine starke Bremsung vermieden.
On the bus, the driver avoided braking hard.