evade

verb

evaded; evading

intransitive verb

1
: to slip away
2
: to take refuge in escape or avoidance

transitive verb

1
: to elude by dexterity or stratagem
2
a
: to avoid facing up to
evaded the real issues
b
: to avoid the performance of : dodge, circumvent
especially : to fail to pay (taxes)
c
: to avoid answering directly : turn aside
3
: to be elusive to : baffle
the simple, personal meaning evaded themC. D. Lewis
evadable adjective
evader noun
Choose the Right Synonym for evade

escape, avoid, evade, elude, shun, eschew mean to get away or keep away from something.

escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

Examples of evade in a Sentence

The criminals have so far managed to evade the police. a politician skilled at evading difficult questions The governor has been accused of evading the issue.
Recent Examples on the Web Most of those apprehended are not trying to evade authorities but rather are trying to be detained by the U.S. Border Patrol, affording them a chance to seek asylum protections. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2024 Still, a healthy adult whitetail can often evade a wolf under normal conditions. Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 28 Feb. 2024 The activists behind the installations have mostly remained anonymous — to evade the police, to allow victims’ families to take center stage, to keep the government on edge. Luis Antonio Rojas, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, evaded questions about the controversy at a press presentation early last year. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2024 In South Korea, five Russian men were stranded at Incheon International Airport near the capital Seoul in 2022 while trying to evade Moscow’s military mobilization order for the war. Yoonjung Seo, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024 Materials included in the leak that promoted I-Soon’s hacking techniques described a technology built to break into Outlook email accounts and another that could control Windows computers, supposedly while evading 95 percent of antivirus systems. Aaron Krolik, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024 Sara Jacobs, Bill Wells, and Stan Caplan consistently evade answering with details this important question. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024 After finally making it to shore, the desperate passengers try to evade police and a few manage to get away. Ed Meza, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'evade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Latin; Middle French evader, from Latin evadere, from e- + vadere to go, walk — more at wade

First Known Use

1513, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of evade was in 1513

Dictionary Entries Near evade

Cite this Entry

“Evade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evade. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

evade

verb
evaded; evading
1
: to get away from or avoid by skill or trickery
evade a question
evade capture
2
: to escape the understanding of
the meaning of the message evaded them
evadable adjective
evader noun

Legal Definition

evade

transitive verb
evaded; evading
1
: to unlawfully fail to pay (taxes) through fraudulent or deceptive means compare avoid
2
: to avoid answering directly
trying to evade the question

More from Merriam-Webster on evade

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