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

Davis denied the charges and three years later, after pleading guilty for failing to report $8,800 in income on his 1972 Federal tax return, received vindication from the judge in the tax evasion case. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 23 June 2026

He was subsequently indicted on six counts of federal income tax evasion, pleaded guilty to one count, and was fined $10,000. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

Cheetah hunts nearly always involve not just a pursuit but also a series of evasions, and hence hunting dynamics are greatly influenced by the behavior of differently sized prey. — Literary Hub, 22 June 2026

Davis was charged with six counts of federal income tax evasion in 1975. — Chris Morris, Variety, 22 June 2026

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