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esquivar

to dodge, to evade

verb ehs-kee-BAHR Rare

Also means

to avoid

Usage Note

Esquivar means to sidestep or dodge both physically (esquivó el golpe) and figuratively (esquivó la pregunta). It is a regular -ar verb. In sports commentary it often describes a player evading a tackle; in everyday use it frequently appears with la miradaesquivó mi mirada ('he avoided my gaze') — a nuance that evitar does not fully capture.

Examples

"Consiguió esquivar al defensa."

Natural Translation

He managed to dodge the defender.

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