evacuation

American  

[ih-vak-yoo-ay-shuhn] / ɪˌvæk juˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

• evacuations
  plural

1. the act or process of evacuating, or the condition of being evacuated; discharge or expulsion, as of contents.

2. Physiology. discharge, as of waste matter through the excretory passages, especially from the bowels.

3. something evacuated or discharged.

4. the removal of persons or things from an endangered area.

5. clearance by removal of troops, equipment, etc.

6. the withdrawal or removal of troops, civilians, etc.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonevacuation
  noun
• reevacuation
  noun
• evacuative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• evacuations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of evacuation

1350–1400; Middle English evacuacioun < Late Latin ēvacuātion- (stem of ēvacuātiō ). See evacuate, -ion

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Explanation

An evacuation happens when people are removed from or leave a dangerous place. An approaching hurricane sometimes results in the evacuation of islands and coastal towns. A fire drill or bomb threat can cause the evacuation of a school building, and during World War II there were frequent evacuations of buildings and areas of cities including London, when people hurried into shelters. Another meaning of evacuation is the emptying of something, whether a container or a human body. This relates to the word's original meaning, "discharge of blood from the body," from the Latin evacuare, "to empty."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

evacuation evacuations

The Bryson Fire, burning in the affluent coastal city of Malibu in Los Angeles county, has also sparked evacuation orders throughout the Santa Monica mountains and has grown to 147 acres.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

A brush fire in the mountains west of Los Angeles prompted evacuation warnings from officials on Thursday, as powerful winds risked spreading the blaze rapidly.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Packages containing white powder led to the evacuation of election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma this week.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Federal authorities are investigating a second medical evacuation helicopter incident near Catalina Island that occurred just moments before a separate fatal crash claimed the lives of three on board.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

However, now that martial law has been declared and the national guard has been activated, Alyce has been called on to airlift drinking water to evacuation centers.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Both Florida and Alabama instituted mandatory evacuations due to the storm.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Streets were largely deserted in the coastal communities after mandatory evacuations ahead of the storm.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

Isaias strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane on Thursday as it headed toward the US Gulf Coast, the US National Hurricane Center said, prompting mandatory evacuations and disrupting oil and gas production.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

The incident is strikingly similar to a May Times report that detailed how information from the scene failed to result in timely evacuations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

The parking lot there had become a staging ground for evacuations.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

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Related Words

• departure
• exodus
• removal
• retreat

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