evasion

noun

eva·​sion i-ˈvā-zhən 

ē-

1

: a means of evading : dodge

Bankruptcy becomes a kind of evasion when firms, some of them still profitable, attempt to avoid obligations that are merely inconvenient.

—Mary Graham

2

: the act or an instance of evading : escape

suspected of tax evasion

Synonyms of evasion

• escape
• avoidance

Examples of evasion in a Sentence

He was arrested for tax evasion.

They came up with an evasion of the law to keep all the land for themselves.

His reply was nothing but careful evasions.

Recent Examples on the Web

After the 1994 season, he was charged with tax evasion. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025

Strawberry was indicted for tax evasion and pleaded guilty in 1995 to a felony charge for failing to report $350,000 in income from autograph signings, personal appearances and memorabilia sales. —Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025

But Fan’s world came crashing down in the late 2010s amidst tax evasion allegations that culminated in fines and retroactive tax bills reportedly in the region of $100 million. —Gavin J Blair, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2025

Cunningham, who died in August 2025, had previously served more than eight years in federal prison for bribery and tax evasion. —David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Late Latin; Anglo-French, from Late Latin evasion-, evasio, from Latin evadere to evade

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for evasion

• abrasion
• caucasian
• equation
• eurasian
• invasion
• occasion
• persuasion
• asian
• suasion
• athanasian

Kids Definition

evasion

noun

eva·​sion i-ˈvā-zhən 

1

: a means of evading

2

: the act or an instance of evading : escape

tax evasion

Legal Definition

evasion

noun

eva·​sion i-ˈvā-zhən 

1

: a means of evading

2

: the act or an instance of evading see also tax evasion