evacuate

verb

USi-VAK-yoo-ayt/ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt/

6 meanings of evacuate

1
verbtransitive
To move people out of a place to keep them safe from danger.
Like getting everyone out of a house before it floods.
Firefighters had to evacuate everyone from the burning building.
Police evacuated the neighborhood before the storm hit.
Similarrelocate, remove, move
2
verbtransitive
To leave a place, often because it is no longer safe to stay there.
Like leaving a tent quickly when a storm is coming.
The soldiers had to evacuate the fort before dawn.
Everyone must evacuate the building during a fire drill.
Similarleave, vacate, abandon, quit, desert
Oppositeoccupy, enter
Note
3
verbtransitive
To empty something completely by taking out everything inside.
Like sucking all the air out of a bag until it is flat.
The pump can evacuate all the air from the tank.
Workers evacuated the tank before cleaning it.
Similarempty, exhaust, remove
Oppositefill
Note
4
verbtransitive
To push the contents out of the body, such as emptying the bowels or bladder.
Like emptying a full bucket so nothing is left inside.
The medicine helps the body evacuate waste more easily.
Patients are asked to evacuate the bladder before the scan.
Similarempty, void, expel, discharge, eliminate
Note
5
verbfigurativelytransitive
To empty something out completely, taking away everything it once held.
Like pouring all the water out of a jug until it is dry.
Bad news like this can evacuate a person of all hope.
The long silence slowly evacuated the house of any warmth.
Similarempty, drain, strip
Note
6
verbtransitive
To cancel something so that it no longer has any legal power.
The church leaders decided to evacuate the marriage because the bride was forced into it.
One false signature can evacuate the whole sales contract.
Similarannul, void, nullify, invalidate, vacate
Oppositeuphold, validate
Note

Practice

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Origin

First used in 1526. It comes from Latin ēvacuō, meaning "to empty out."