evacuation

noun evac·u·a·tion \ i-ˌva-kyə-ˈwā-shən , -kyü-ˈā- \

Updated on: 7 May 2018

Definition of evacuation

1 : the act or process of evacuating

2 : something evacuated or discharged

Recent Examples of evacuation from the Web

Three Tyngsborough high school students fainted while talking about blood in their biology class Friday morning, resulting in a schoolwide evacuation, but none of them were seriously injured, officials said.

— elise takahama, BostonGlobe.com, "Three Tyngsborough high school students faint during biology class; school evacuated," 4 May 2018
Authorities then ordered a mass evacuation affecting thousands of people.

— meg jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Fire extinguished at Superior oil refinery after at least 20 were injured in explosions," 26 Apr. 2018
The Nippon Foundation notes that orange is the color of flags to be used by relief workers signaling a tsunami evacuation.

— susan scutti, CNN, "Japan's 'Bosai Girls' bring fashion to disaster relief," 24 Apr. 2018
The workers at the plant said radiation alarms sounded throughout the facility, resulting in a chaotic mass evacuation.

— ted sickinger, OregonLive.com, "Police looking for shooter after one injured in Keizer," 22 Apr. 2018
Read more: An unexploded World War II bomb forced a mass evacuation in Berlin.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "The world’s oldest person died at 117. She was the last known person born in the 19th century.," 22 Apr. 2018
But a student was shot at the high school before the walkout started, sparking a school evacuation and sending the rest of the district into lockdown.

— katie reilly, Time, "Students at a Florida High School Planned to Join the National Walkout Against Gun Violence. But Then a Student Was Shot," 20 Apr. 2018
There was a chaotic evacuation on the runway, but no one died.

— bloomberg, latimes.com, "Metal weakness like the fatigue in Southwest plane's engine can lie hidden for years," 19 Apr. 2018
Even without a mass evacuation, moving people around South Korea is a challenge.

— jonathan cheng, WSJ, "U.S. Practices Wartime Evacuation of Americans From South Korea," 18 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'evacuation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of evacuation

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Medical Dictionary

evacuation

noun evac·u·a·tion \ i-ˌvak-yə-ˈwā-shən \

medical Definition of evacuation

1 : the act or process of evacuating

2 : something evacuated or discharged

Learn More about evacuation

See words that rhyme with evacuation Spanish Central: Translation of evacuation Nglish: Translation of evacuation for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of evacuation for Arabic speakers

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