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

Etymology

Origin of evacuation

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

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

“But they kept saying, ‘We will wait for an evacuation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

Governor of Alabama Kay Ivey issued a mandatory evacuation for all non-residents, tourists and visitors in key counties likely to be heavily affected by the storm.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Aaron Katon said the fire was threatening about 40 structures in the area where the evacuation order was issued.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for coastal areas in four counties in Florida, while states of emergency are in place in parts of Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Finally, on Friday, April 26, the weather improved enough to allow a helicopter evacuation, and Ngawang was flown to a hospital in Kathmandu, but he did not recover.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

With winter not far off, Ukrzaliznytsia is already figuring out how to deal with evacuations when the outside temperature can reach -20C or below and snow is lying heavy on the ground.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 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

Warnings, evacuations and decisions not to strike saved Palestinian lives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Not only were these evacuations and odors loathsome, they were considered dangerous.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

Related Words

• departure
• exodus
• removal
• retreat