evade

[ih-veyd]

verb (used with object)

evaded, evading 

1. to escape from by trickery or cleverness.

   to evade one's pursuers.

   Synonyms: dodge, avoid
   Antonyms: confront, face

2. to get around by trickery.

   to evade rules.

3. to avoid doing or fulfilling.

   to evade an obligation.

4. to avoid answering directly.

   to evade a question.

5. to elude; escape.

   The solution evaded him.

verb (used without object)

evaded, evading 

1. to avoid doing or fulfilling something.

2. to elude or get away from someone or something by craft or slyness; escape.

evade

/ ɪˈveɪd /

verb

1. to get away from or avoid (imprisonment, captors, etc); escape

2. to get around, shirk, or dodge (the law, a duty, etc)

3. (also intr) to avoid answering (a question)

Other Word Forms

• evadable adjective
• evadingly adverb
• evader noun
• evadible adjective
• nonevadable adjective
• nonevadible adjective
• nonevading adjective
• nonevadingly adverb
• preevade verb (used with object)
• unevadable adjective
• unevaded adjective
• unevadible adjective
• unevading adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of evade¹

First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin ēvādere “to pass over, go out,” equivalent to ē- “out of, from” + vādere “to go, walk” e- ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of evade¹

C16: from French évader, from Latin ēvādere to go forth, from vādere to go

Synonym Study

See escape.

Example Sentences

One night, he says immigration police came to the door of a house where he was staying, but he evaded arrest by hiding under a bed.

Read more on BBC

Gal evaded the gunmen on the ground, but Guy was kidnapped.

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One local council said it was creating a "mockery" of the law but Airbnb said it acted on reports from local authorities when hosts evaded rules.

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The pair are relentless tech creations from a futuristic realm; Eve is an ordinary human forced to do her best to evade them.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I never got a satisfying answer from Sothea on how he has evaded arrest.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• avoid 
• bypass 
• circumvent 
• conceal 
• deceive 
• dodge 
• elude 
• escape 
• fend off www.thesaurus.com
• flee 
• get around 
• hide 
• sidestep