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tax evasion

American  

noun

  1. the nonpayment of taxes, as through the failure to report taxable income.


tax evasion British  

noun

  1. reduction or minimization of tax liability by illegal methods Compare tax avoidance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tax evasion

First recorded in 1920–25

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.

See Examples For:

When law enforcement tries to trace bribes or tax evasion, criminals can easily hide among the hundreds of thousands of legal shell companies whose owners were only using them to lower their taxes.

From MarketWatch Aug. 27, 2026

But his promotion was accelerated when Charlie was sent to prison in Alabama in 2005 after pleading guilty to tax evasion and making illegal campaign contributions.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 15, 2026

Nathan Hochman announced the 58-year-old comedian’s arrest during a news conference Thursday afternoon and said Mencia faces 12 criminal tax evasion counts over his failure to submit his state tax returns from 2019 to 2024.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 18, 2026

His father was later cleared of the bribery allegations but was found guilty of tax evasion and given a suspended sentence and a fine.

From BBC Apr. 29, 2026

Colonel Korn was the lawyer, and if Colonel Korn assured him that fraud, extortion, currency manipulation, embezzlement, income tax evasion and black-market speculations were legal, Colonel Cathcart was in no position to disagree with him.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

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