evacuate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to leave empty; vacate.
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to remove (persons or things) from a place, as a dangerous place or disaster area, for reasons of safety or protection.
to evacuate the inhabitants of towns in the path of a flood.
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to remove persons from (a city, town, building, area, etc.) for reasons of safety.
to evacuate the embassy after a bomb threat.
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Military.
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to remove (troops, wounded soldiers, civilians, etc.) from a war zone, combat area, etc.
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to withdraw from or quit (a town, fort, etc., that has been occupied).
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Physiology. to discharge or eject as through the excretory passages, especially from the bowels.
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to deprive.
Fear evacuated their minds of reason.
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to produce a vacuum in.
verb
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(also intr) to withdraw or cause to withdraw from (a place of danger) to a place of greater safety
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to make empty by removing the contents of
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(also intr) physiol
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to eliminate or excrete (faeces); defecate
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to discharge (any waste product) from (a part of the body)
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(tr) to create a vacuum in (a bulb, flask, reaction vessel, etc)
Other Word Forms
- evacuation noun
- evacuative adjective
- evacuator noun
- reevacuate verb
- unevacuated adjective
Etymology
Origin of evacuate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin ēvacuātus “emptied out” (past participle of ēvacuāre, equivalent to ē- + vacuāre ); e- 1, vacuum, -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Aquaman” star Jason Momoa has revealed he was forced to evacuate his family’s Hawaii home after a dangerous storm devastated the area with historic flooding.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
The 3:30 a.m. alert ordered people to immediately evacuate, but at that point, flames and smoke had been threatening the area for hours.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
In recent days, the Israel Defense Forces have taken to social media to warn residents living near the prison that they should evacuate.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
Jason Momoa, the Game of Thrones and Aquaman actor, said that his family had to evacuate their home on the North Shore of Oahu due to the storm.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
Their work done at the Hilton, Sheehan and his staff scrambled to evacuate room 1106.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
