evacuee
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of evacuee
1935–40; < French évacué, past participle of évacuer to evacuate; see -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.
Greece's health ministry said a Greek male evacuee would spend 45 days in mandatory hospital quarantine in Athens, while 14 Spanish citizens will also isolate at a military hospital in Madrid.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
Linda Elmo, an evacuee, said the flames moved so rapidly she and her husband had little time to flee.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2024
Calgary, Alberta, received 15 evacuee flights from the Northwest Territories on Thursday and was expecting an additional 26 flights on Friday carrying approximately 2,300 people, the city said.
From Reuters • Aug. 18, 2023
One evacuee told the CBC her car began melting as they drove through embers while fleeing the town on Sunday.
From BBC • Aug. 16, 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.
