This is the 443rd most frequent Russian word.
избежать
To avoid or escape.
The word 'избежать' here is used in the context of evading or staying away from something unwanted, specifically punishment.
Он сделал всё, чтобы избежать наказания.
He did everything to avoid punishment.
In this sentence, 'избежать' indicates the effort to prevent or steer clear of an error.
Мы постарались избежать ошибки в расчетах.
We tried to avoid an error in the calculations.
Here, 'избежать' is in the form 'избегая', showing the ongoing action of avoiding crowded places.