Synonym Chooser

How does the verb evade contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of evade are avoid, elude, escape, eschew, and shun. While all these words mean "to get away or keep away from something," evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

When would avoid be a good substitute for evade?

While the synonyms avoid and evade are close in meaning, avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

When is it sensible to use elude instead of evade?

In some situations, the words elude and evade are roughly equivalent. However, elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

In what contexts can escape take the place of evade?

The meanings of escape and evade largely overlap; however, escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

When could eschew be used to replace evade?

While in some cases nearly identical to evade, eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

When can shun be used instead of evade?

The words shun and evade are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

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 evade Dalton Hayes served 10 years in prison, in part, for evading police. Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 6 July 2025 For more than a decade, Kim Ji-min served as an IT worker inside a vast global scheme devised by North Korea’s authoritarian leadership to evade crushing financial sanctions. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 2 July 2025 The Senate proposal extended but held steady the state and local tax caps and placed some limits on how much tip income can evade taxation. Brittany Carloni, IndyStar, 1 July 2025 Last year, the Russians began including decoy drones with their Shahed drones to increase the likelihood of evading Ukrainian defenses. Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for evade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evade
Verb
  • Giving up athletics had an impact on her body and changes were required to avoid injury.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 30 June 2025
  • Each week spent on development and every disaster avoided adds to the company’s financial, reputational and customer support success.
    Sai Sandeep Ogety, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • Jeremiah Estrada promptly struck out Eugenio Suarez to escape that jam, and Adrián Morejón left the bases loaded the next inning with a strikeout of Marte.
    Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2025
  • When Huang was nine-years-old, his parents sent him and his older brother to the U.S. to escape widespread social unrest in Thailand.
    Matt Durot, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Evade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evade. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on evade

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