English Dictionary

Definition of “evade

evade (ɪˈveɪdPronunciation for evade

Definitions

verb (mainly tr)

  1. to get away from or avoid (imprisonment, captors, etc); escape
  2. to get around, shirk, or dodge (the law, a duty, etc)
  3. (also intr) to avoid answering (a question)

Alternative Forms

eˈvadable adjective eˈvader noun eˈvadingly adverb

Word Origin

C16: from French évader,  from Latin ēvādere  to go forth, from vādere to go

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry
= avoid, escape, dodge, get away from shun, elude, eschew, steer clear of, sidestep, circumvent, duck, shirk, slip through the net of escape the clutches of body-swerve,
= avoid answering parry, circumvent, fend off, balk, cop out of fence, fudge, hedge, prevaricate, flannel, beat about the bush about equivocate,

Usage examples

  • If we could evade the bailiffs she could equally get past him.
    Fidelis Morgan, THE RIVAL QUEENS: A Countess Ashby de la Zouche Mystery (2002)
  • Other animals use different forms of random behaviour to evade predators or catch their prey.
    New Scientist (1998)
  • But Mr Ahern, he said, could not evade his share of responsibility for these events.
    Irish Times (2002)
  • The jury found that she had advised some clients to evade tax.
    Sun, News of the World (2002)
  • My inhibitions and nervous apprehensions had been delaying the inevitable, but there was no longer any way for me to evade the issue.
    Edward Beauclerk Maurice, THE LAST OF THE GENTLEMEN ADVENTURERS: Coming of Age in the Arctic (2004)

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