evade

verb

i-ˈvād 

ē-

evaded; evading

intransitive verb

1

: to slip away

2

: to take refuge in escape or avoidance

transitive verb

1

: to elude by dexterity or stratagem

2

a

: to avoid facing up to

evaded the real issues

b

: to avoid the performance of : dodge, circumvent

especially : to fail to pay (taxes)

c

: to avoid answering directly : turn aside

3

: to be elusive to : baffle

the simple, personal meaning evaded them

—C. D. Lewis

evadable

i-ˈvā-də-bəl 

ē-

adjective

evader noun

Synonyms

• avoid
• dodge
• duck
• elude
• escape
• eschew
• finesse
• get around
• scape
• shake
• shirk
• shuffle (out of)
• shun
• weasel (out of)

Choose the Right Synonym for evade

escape, avoid, evade, elude, shun, eschew mean to get away or keep away from something.

escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

Examples of evade in a Sentence

The criminals have so far managed to evade the police.

a politician skilled at evading difficult questions

The governor has been accused of evading the issue.

Recent Examples on the Web

Hezbollah fighters have been using pagers as a low-tech means of communication in an attempt to evade Israeli location-tracking, two sources familiar with the group’s operations told Reuters this year. —Reuters, NBC News, 11 Nov. 2024

El Monte police said that charges of kidnapping and felony evading would be submitted to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. —Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024

Williams had to evade pressure in the pocket, then broke to his right and, with two Jacksonville Jaguars defenders on his tail, spotted Kmet leaking into a wide-open space. —Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 26 Oct. 2024

The new movie found Eddie and Venom on a buddy road trip to New York, looking to evade authorities – since Eddie is wanted for murder – as well as snarling outer-space beasts sent by Venom’s creator, the evil Knull (played via motion capture by Andy Serkis). —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Latin; Middle French evader, from Latin evadere, from e- + vadere to go, walk — more at wade

First Known Use

1513, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing evade

• evade capture/arrest
• evade detection

Kids Definition

evade

verb

i-ˈvād 

evaded; evading

1

: to get away from or avoid by skill or trickery

evade a question

evade capture

2

: to escape the understanding of

the meaning of the message evaded them

evadable

-ˈvād-ə-bəl 

adjective

evader noun

Legal Definition

evade

transitive verb

i-ˈvād 

evaded; evading

1

: to unlawfully fail to pay (taxes) through fraudulent or deceptive means compare avoid

2

: to avoid answering directly

trying to evade the question