evade

verb \ i-ˈvād , ē- \

|Updated on: 6 Jun 2018

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Examples: evade in a Sentence

Definition of evade

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 them
—C. D. Lewis

—

evadable

play \i-ˈvā-də-bəl. ē-\ adjective

—

evader

noun

See evade defined for English-language learners

See evade defined for kids

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 of evade from the Web

Also like Thomson-Spires’ women, the men in these pages seem doomed to remain strangers to themselves, as the true causes and names of their desires and disappointments evade them.

— brittany allen, Longreads, "Masters of Contradiction," 24 May 2018
Ben tuned in to the news and saw Watts running down the sidewalk, trying to evade television cameras.

— jennifer gonnerman, The New Yorker, "How One Woman’s Fight to Save Her Family Helped Lead to a Mass Exoneration," 19 May 2018
Training my mind to concentrate on anything without wanting to blow my brains out required a calm that often evaded me.

— terrell jermaine starr, The Root, "Why I Don’t Regret Taking Medication to Cope With My Depression," 17 May 2018
According to Grayson County Jail records, Michael James Ouellette, 48, and his 43-year-old wife Shannon Lee Ouellette were arrested and charged with assaulting a peace officer, evading arrest and endangering a child Tuesday.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "'End times': Nude family walks away from burning home before parents assault PD chief, Texas cops say | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 17 May 2018
The solution continued to evade him Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field, where the Royals lost to the Indians 11-2.

— maria torres, kansascity, "In loss to Indians, Danny Duffy becomes latest Royals veteran pitcher to allow 9 runs | The Kansas City Star," 13 May 2018
Allen appeared May 1 before the Common Council, said there are significant numbers of people who are trying to evade paying the city of Gary the wheel tax of $25 for cars ($40 for truck owners) that is assessed to any city residents.

— gregory tejeda, Post-Tribune, "Gary police chief promises crackdown on wheel tax violators," 3 May 2018
Witnesses told police Wickware had been seen running east along Glendale Avenue trying to evade someone before he was shot, according to Glendale police.

— victor ren, azcentral, "Glendale teen's family, police seek help solving 2003 murder," 27 Mar. 2018
The film skips over large swaths of exposition, like why Vogel sticks around in this dead-end job for close to a decade, how the Dread Pirate McNulty (aka Papa Croft) evaded him or why anyone is even on this island.

— katie walsh, Detroit Free Press, "Review: Story-challenged ‘Tomb Raider’ has its moments," 15 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of evade

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1513

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

evade Synonyms

Phrases

fight shy of, keep clear of, stay clear of, steer clear of;

Synonym Discussion of 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

EVADE Defined for English Language Learners

evade

verb

Definition of evade for English Language Learners

: to stay away from (someone or something) : to avoid (someone or something)
: to avoid dealing with or facing (something)
: to avoid doing (something required)

EVADE Defined for Kids

evade

verb \ i-ˈvād \

Definition of evade for Students

evaded; evading

: to get away from or avoid meeting directly

evade a question

Law Dictionary

evade

transitive verb \ i-ˈvād \

legal Definition of evade

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

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evade

Definition of evade

evadable

evader

Examples of evade in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of evade

evade Synonyms

Synonyms

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EVADE Defined for English Language Learners

evade

Definition of evade for English Language Learners

EVADE Defined for Kids

evade

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evade

legal Definition of evade

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