evacuate

verb

evac·​u·​ate i-ˈva-kyə-ˌwāt How to pronounce evacuate (audio)
-kyü-ˌāt
evacuated; evacuating

transitive verb

1
: to remove the contents of : empty
2
: to discharge from the body as waste : void
3
: to remove something (such as gas or water) from especially by pumping
4
a
: to remove especially from a military zone or dangerous area
b
: to withdraw from military occupation of
c
: vacate sense 1
were ordered to evacuate the building

intransitive verb

1
: to withdraw from a place in an organized way especially for protection
2
: to pass urine or feces from the body
evacuative adjective

Examples of evacuate in a Sentence

People who live along the coast are being evacuated as the hurricane approaches. During World War II, children were evacuated from London to the country. Residents were ordered to evacuate the building. Residents have been ordered to evacuate.
Recent Examples on the Web But 17,000 residents had to evacuate due to potentially harmful chlorine lingering in the air. Holly Yan, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024 Another similarity between the conflict zones: the dropping of leaflets by the Israeli army ordering residents to evacuate or face bombing. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Oct. 2024 Israel ordered the entire population of the northern third of Gaza, including Gaza City, to evacuate to the south in the war’s opening weeks and reiterated those instructions this month. Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024 However, the family — who had been forced to evacuate their property — returned to their home over a week later to find the cat, named Ricardo Blanco, waiting there. Toria Sheffield, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for evacuate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'evacuate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to draw off morbid humors, from Latin evacuatus, past participle of evacuare to empty, from e- + vacuus empty

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of evacuate was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near evacuate

Cite this Entry

“Evacuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evacuate. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

evacuate

verb
evac·​u·​ate i-ˈvak-yə-ˌwāt How to pronounce evacuate (audio)
evacuated; evacuating
1
: to make empty
2
: to discharge waste matter from the body
3
: to remove something (as a gas) from especially by pumping
4
a
: to remove troops or people from a place of danger
b
: vacate
evacuate the building
evacuation
-ˌvak-yə-ˈwā-shən
noun

Medical Definition

evacuate

verb
evac·​u·​ate i-ˈvak-yə-ˌwāt How to pronounce evacuate (audio)
evacuated; evacuating

transitive verb

1
: to remove the contents of
evacuate an abscess
2
: to discharge (as urine or feces) from the body as waste : void

intransitive verb

: to pass urine or feces from the body
evacuative adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on evacuate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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