See synonyms for steer clear of on Thesaurus.com. Stay away from, avoid, as in Dad warned us to steer clear of Dr. Smith and his poor advice. This idiom alludes to guiding a vessel away from some obstacle. Its figurative use was first recorded in 1723.

What is steer clear means?

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery. After several disastrous family gatherings, she steered clear of any talk about hosting holiday celebrations.

How do you use steer clear in a sentence?

1. We need to steer clear of this poverty of ambition, where people want to drive fancy cars and wear nice clothes and live in nice apartments but don't want to work hard to accomplish these things. 2. His parents warned him to steer clear of trouble.