evacuate

verb

i-ˈva-kyə-ˌwāt How to pronounce evacuate (audio)
Definition of evacuatenext
as in to empty
to remove the contents of evacuate the cupboards completely before spraying the insecticide

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of evacuate In Fujian province, authorities evacuated 98,900 people from high-risk areas after raising the typhoon emergency response to Level III, according to ‌Xinhua. — Reuters, NBC news, 9 Aug. 2026 An airline spokesperson confirmed with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that 199 customers and six crew members had to evacuate on the taxiway via slides. — Caroline Silva, AJC.com, 8 Aug. 2026 And north of the border in British Columbia, more than 20,000 people had to evacuate ahead of another fast-moving wildfire. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026 Passengers and crew on the Boeing 757 evacuated via slides on the taxiway and returned to the terminal on a bus. — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for evacuate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evacuate
  1. empty
  2. vacate
  3. clear
  4. clean
Verb
  • The benches and bullpens emptied as the first baseman, who had homered in the first inning, took umbrage with the pitches.
    — LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Regularly emptying your bladder is important to avoid discomfort and possible infections.
    — Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of empty
Verb
  • Dozens of businesses, including restaurants and retail, advanced manufacturing facilities and new warehouses, have filled up much of the land vacated by Ryerson.
    — Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In April 2018, the State’s Attorney’s Office moved to vacate the convictions in light of the new information.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of vacate
Verb
  • Archaeologists first identified several in the western Brazilian state of Acre in 1977, when deforestation began to clear parts of the forest.
    — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 10 Aug. 2026
  • When the smoke cleared on October 4, 2024, Beloozerov’s body lay splayed out on the pavement amid shards of glass from his car window.
    — Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of clear
Verb
  • Wu said there are cleaning protocols hospitals and long-term care facilities can use to minimize potential spread of the fungus.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
  • When removing ink from leather backpacks, be sure to use a leather conditioner after cleaning.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of clean

Browse Nearby Words

euthanizing
evacuate
evacuated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Evacuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evacuate. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on evacuate

Nglish: Translation of evacuate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All