evade

verb

\i-ˈvād,

ē-\

evaded; evading

Definition of evade

intransitive verb

1 : to slip away

2 : to take refuge in escape or avoidance

transitive verb

1 : to elude by dexterity or stratagem

2a : 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

Other Words from evade Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about evade

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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

Luckily for him and Croatia, Kasper Schmeichel had dived, and the ball had just enough curl on it to evade goalkeeper’s trailing leg. — Jonathan Wilson, SI.com, "Luka Modric's Croatia Success Story Comes With Complications," 13 July 2018 On multiple occasions, Gildon used his agile skating to evade pressure in the neutral zone. — Matthew Defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Panthers prospect Max Gildon impresses with smooth skating, big frame," 29 June 2018 To evade the bloodshed, Javier’s dad traveled to the United States and found a job cleaning boats in California’s Bay Area. — Cincinnati.com, "Aftermath: 'You're going back to East Oakland'," 4 June 2018 Some critics point out that Iran has been known to evade inspections in the past and that key provisions giving access to monitors sunset over time. — courant.com, "Fact-checking President Trump's reasons for leaving the Iran nuclear deal," 9 May 2018 Five men had been charged with conspiracy for encouraging Americans to evade the draft. — David Mislin, Smithsonian, "How Vietnam War Protests Accelerated the Rise of the Christian Right," 3 May 2018 That meeting, following revelations that the company used software to evade regulatory scrutiny, started the process of undoing what many onlookers saw as years of poor behavior on Uber’s part. — Bloomberg, latimes.com, "Uber gets probationary license to operate in London as it tries to regain trust," 26 June 2018 The unstated assumption of the case that Mueller should stay away from this topic is that Trump managed to evade scrutiny of his business record during the campaign, and the campaign was the public’s one and only shot at accountability. — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, "In Year Two, Mueller Is Wading Into a Bottomless Pit of Trump Sleaze," 17 May 2018 The suspect fled from the bank in a sedan — which had been identified from a previous bank robbery — and tried to evade the police, who were following him, Baquera said. — Claire Morgan, sacbee, "Man accused of robbing Roseville bank flees, causing three-car crash, police say," 10 July 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.