evacuation

American  

[ih-vak-yoo-ey-shuhn] / ɪˌvæk yuˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

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

• evacuative adjective
• nonevacuation noun
• reevacuation noun

Etymology

Origin of evacuation

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

Example Sentences

Once on the lifeboat he was wrapped in warm blankets and it was "assessed that an ambulance and rapid evacuation would be required".

From BBC

After harried evacuations and tearful returns to the charred remains of the 46-unit complex, the Upper Woodies condo association formed committees to start the rebuilding process.

From The Wall Street Journal

Last week, Ukraine said it had ordered the evacuation of thousands of children and their parents from frontline settlements in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

From Barron's

In Altadena, if government officials had sent out timely evacuation alerts to west Altadena residents, if fire trucks had swarmed the area earlier, would 18 people have died?

From Los Angeles Times

There, people recounted their harrowing evacuation stories, unsure of whether their home survived, unsure of when or if they’d be able to return.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• departure
• exodus
• removal
• retreat