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.
Another evacuee, 77-year-old Pedro Llorente, needs no convincing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
The cruise ship's operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said the third evacuee, a German passenger, was "closely associated" with a German woman who died on board the ship on 2 May.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
"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
Joining us for lunch was Janet H., 85, another Palisades evacuee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2025
Alberta has set up three official evacuee reception centers for those leaving by road but the closest is more than 1,100 km from Yellowknife.
From Reuters ● Aug. 17, 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.
