Meanings
present singular third person evades · participle present evading · participle past evaded · past evaded
- transitiveTo get away from by cunning; to avoid by using dexterity, subterfuge, address, or ingenuity; to cleverly escape from.
The robbers evaded the police.
5 more examples
He evaded his opponent's blows.
to evade the force of an argument
The heathen had a method, more truly their own, of evading the Christian miracles.
1847, Richard Chenevix Trench, Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord“Evading” is moving through ground occupied by an opponent without trying to knock him down. You can attempt this as part of any maneuver that allows movement, provided you can move fast enough to go past your foe – not just up to him.
2004, “Moving Through Other Characters”, in GURPS Basic Set: Campaigns, page 368If someone tries to evade you from the front (see Evading, p. B368) and you have a melee weapon that can parry, you may roll against weapon skill instead of DX in the Contest. You keep him from evading if you win or tie
2007, “Obstruction”, in GURPS Martial Arts, page 106 - transitiveTo escape; to slip away; — sometimes with from.
Evading from perils.
1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC1 more example
Unarmed they might / Have easily, as spirits evaded swift / By quick contraction or remove.
1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
verbavoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinēvādō“to pass or go over; flee”
- Middle Frenchévader
- Englishevade
From Middle French évader, from Latin ēvādō (“to pass or go over; flee”), from ē (“out of, from”) + vādō (“to go; walk”). See also wade.
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Basque itzuri
- itzurito avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
Bulgarian отбя́гвам, отбя́гна
- отбя́гвам (otbjágvam)to avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- отбя́гна (otbjágna)to avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- изплъзвам се (izplăzvam se)to escape or slip away
- избя́гвам (izbjágvam)to attempt to escape
- избя́гам (izbjágam)to attempt to escape
Catalan evadir, eludir
- evadirto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- eludirto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- evadirto escape or slip away
Chinese Cantonese 閃 /闪
- 閃 /闪 (sim²)to avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
Chinese Mandarin 閃 /闪, 逃脫 /逃脱
- 閃 /闪 (shǎn)to avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- 逃脫 /逃脱 (táotuō)to avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- 躲開 /躲开 (duǒkai)to avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- 溜走 (liūzǒu)to escape or slip away
- 脫身 /脱身 (tuōshēn)to escape or slip away
Czech vyhnout se
- vyhnout seto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
Dutch ontlopen
- ontlopento avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
Esperanto eviti
- evitito avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
Finnish väistää, välttää
- väistääto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- välttääto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- livistääto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- laistaato avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- paetato escape or slip away
- livistääto escape or slip away
- välttääto escape or slip away
- väistääto escape or slip away
- yrittää paetato attempt to escape
French esquiver, s'évader
- esquiverto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- s'évaderto escape or slip away
German ausweichen, meiden
- ausweichento avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- meidento escape or slip away
- sich entziehento attempt to escape
Hungarian elkerül
- elkerülto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
Italian schivare, evitare
- schivareto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- evitareto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- eludereto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- evadereto escape or slip away
- eludereto escape or slip away
- evadereto attempt to escape
Latin evado, eludo
- evadoto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- eludoto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- subterfugioto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- evadoto escape or slip away
- subtefugioto escape or slip away
- subterfugioto escape or slip away
- evadoto attempt to escape
Māori karo, papare
- karoto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- papareto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- whakatītahato avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
Russian уклоня́ться, уклони́ться
- уклоня́ться (uklonjátʹsja)to avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- уклони́ться (uklonítʹsja)to avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- ускольза́ть (uskolʹzátʹ)to escape or slip away
- ускользну́ть (uskolʹznútʹ)to escape or slip away
- избега́ть (izbegátʹ)to attempt to escape
- избежа́ть (izbežátʹ)to attempt to escape
Spanish evadir, soslayar
- evadirto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- soslayarto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- dar esquinazoto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- burlarto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- evadirto escape or slip away
- evadirto attempt to escape
Ukrainian ухиля́тися
- ухиля́тися (uxyljátysja)to avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
Vietnamese tránh, trốn
- tránhto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
- trốnto avoid by dexterity, subterfuge, elude
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with evade
Anagrams
Cite this entry
evade. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/evade
“evade.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/evade. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “evade,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/evade.
Source: evade on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.