evade

verb

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 themC. D. Lewis
evadable adjective
evader noun
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
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.
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 See all Example Sentences for evade 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of evade was in 1513

Dictionary Entries Near evade

Cite this Entry

“Evade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evade. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

evade

verb
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 adjective
evader noun

Legal Definition

evade

transitive verb
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

More from Merriam-Webster on evade

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