shy away (from someone or something)

1. To withdraw, recede, or recoil (from someone or something) in or as in fear. Are you mad at me? You've been shying away from me all day. The child shied away as the strange man approached.

2. To avoid, evade, or neglect something. You wanted to lead this branch, which means you can't shy away from the thornier aspects of the job. We need someone who won't shy away when it's time to make tough decisions.

shy away from

Avoid, evade, as in He shied away from all questions concerning his private life. [Late 1700s]

See also: away, shy

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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References in periodicals archive

Jamie Osborne: not one to shy away from racing on the all-weather

Osborne 'biggest ever' strike force being primed for a sand storm

This is true both in terms of the way in which they eschew a detailed description of construction and in their tendency to shy away from the single, autonomous structure stand[ing] in the landscape.

Archiprix arises

As he writes, "Elected officials love to talk about 'family values' but shy away from proposing anything big or new that would actually help parents juggle the tasks of earning a living and raising a family.

Generation gap

I'd like to cease experiencing these calf cramps but I shy away from electrolyte overloading.

Calf cramps and their causes

The dynamic young couple never shy away from being willing to do the "unglamourous jobs" to satisfy a customer, even if means donning the cleaning garb themselves.

"Stash your ego in your back pocket"

But with the onset of the Vietnam War and the debate about abortion, schools started to shy away from it.

Hot-button handling: social studies and hot-button issues go hand in hand. Here's how to prevent inevitable sparks from flaming out of control

"Gloria" did not shy away from the more difficult figures: Has any woman of her generation been as vilified as Yoko Ono?

"Gloria: another look at feminist art in the 1970S". (Reviews: New York)

"In supporting that aim, we will endeavor to bring our readership high quality, original and challenging articles that do not shy away from asking tough questions and proposing innovative solutions."

Western Muslims launch online publication to "promote honest dialog between cultures"

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, the Vatican permanent observer at the U.N., while accepting the other aspects, does not shy away from the latter and advocated attention to the promotion of abstinence and marital fidelity.

AIDS marches on. (News in Brief)

He was tough, and did not shy away from stating his views clearly.

The passing of a friend. (Off The News)

Hussein Sadruddin, the overworked detention project coordinator for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, can speak to any number of problems that need addressing: an old meatpacking plant converted into a giant human cage; local police and INS trolling for arrests at mosques and small businesses; funders that shy away from giving money to help "criminal aliens."

Note from the editor

Once word gets around that going to the doctor can mean going to jail, some pregnant women will shy away from important prenatal care.

Drug War Doctors

These "climate-checkers" will weigh in on whether a company should take a risk or shy away from it.

Top 10 HOT JOB

They can't shy away from auditing the sheriff's office just because the sheriff is popular.

A Truly Public Accountant

He does not shy away from (but rather emphasizes) the contradictions and tensions in Jonson's life and writings.

Ben Johnson: A Literary Life