The phrase "avoided being close" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when describing a situation where someone intentionally kept a distance or did not allow for intimacy or closeness in a relationship or interaction.
Example: "Despite their shared history, she avoided being close to him, fearing the emotional consequences."
Alternatives: "steered clear of intimacy" or "kept a distance."
New Covenant narrowly avoided being closed last year.
The party, which has roots in political Islam narrowly avoided being closed two years ago after the country's chief prosecutor charged it with anti-secularism.
The plant narrowly avoided being closed as part of G.M.'s restructuring plan and today operates no differently than any of G.M.'s 18 other car factories.
Cows in paddocks without electric shock performed almost 15% more grazing behaviour than cows in paddocks with electric shock (P≤0.05), which indicates that they may have recognized the absence of shock, hence not avoiding being close to the fence.
We predicted that wolves 1) prefer to use gravel roads and avoid main roads; 2) use roads more often and are closer to roads during night than daytime; and 3) use roads mainly while traveling and avoid being close to roads while handling prey and resting.
This means avoiding being close to flowers that bees love (most of them), so it may not be such a fun option if you're a keen gardener.
Suzanne Daley (NYT) YUGOSLAVIA: STUDIO FORCED TO PAY -- The leading nongovernment television station in Serbia paid $1 million to President Slobodan Milosevic's government to avoid being closed down.
The deputy editor offered another way forward: to avoid being closed down, the Guardian would bash up its own computers under GCHQ's tutelage.
Greater regulatory pressure means they have to go to further lengths to disguise their activities or bribe inspectors in order to avoid being closed down, and this damages their livelihoods.
Avoid being close to him and leave your best friend.
