avoid vs desist

avoid and desist both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
avoid	No	No	Yes	No
desist	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, desist is a hypernym of avoid; that is, desist is a word with a broader meaning than avoid:

Other hypernyms of avoid include abstain, refrain.

avoid (verb)	desist (verb)
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something	choose not to consume
refrain from certain foods or beverages
declare invalid
prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; to protect from or to keep away anything undesirable; to ward off
refrain from doing something