evacuee
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of evacuee
1935–40; < French évacué, past participle of évacuer to evacuate; -ee
Explanation
If a person is rescued and removed from a dangerous place, they are an evacuee. During World War II, many evacuees were moved from dense cities to the countryside. When someone is evacuated, or taken away from an unsafe location, that person becomes an evacuee. If an entire family is rescued from a burning building by firefighters, they are all evacuees. Most evacuees have been saved from immediate physical harm, whether from dangerous chemicals, fire, or war. The Latin root is evacuare, "to clear out."
Vocabulary lists containing evacuee
"Simplexity," Vocabulary from the science writing
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Scrabble: Words with 5 Vowels
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 28–September 3, 2021
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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.
"We have no grain left" to feed the animals, one evacuee, Ibrahim Bernous, 32, told AFP at a camp.
From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026
In front of Pasadena’s First AME Zion Church, the parking lot had been converted into a resource center with donations that seemed to consider every possible circumstance an evacuee might find themselves in.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2025
An evacuee speaking at the scene described the fires as "armageddon".
From BBC • Jan. 8, 2025
Another evacuee, Elena Caballo, 50, cried as she remembered the beautiful mountain view.
From Reuters • Aug. 18, 2023
On a recent afternoon, he greeted an evacuee brought by ambulance to Anatevka.
From New York Times • Jul. 5, 2023
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.
