evade

verb

i-ˈvād How to pronounce evade (audio)
Definition of evadenext
as in to avoid
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery people who use every loophole in the law to evade paying taxes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb evade contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of evade are avoid, elude, escape, eschew, and shun. While all these words mean "to get away or keep away from something," evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

When would avoid be a good substitute for evade?

While the synonyms avoid and evade are close in meaning, avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

When is it sensible to use elude instead of evade?

In some situations, the words elude and evade are roughly equivalent. However, elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

In what contexts can escape take the place of evade?

The meanings of escape and evade largely overlap; however, escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

When could eschew be used to replace evade?

While in some cases nearly identical to evade, eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

When can shun be used instead of evade?

The words shun and evade are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of evade On fourth down, Chargers quarterback Corin Berry evaded multiple Corona del Mar tacklers and scrambled for positive yardage, but was tackled short of the first down by Scott Anderson to give the Sea Kings the ball to close out the game. —Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025 With the help of resourceful Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente), Bourne evades capture from the CIA — namely data analyst Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and Deputy Director Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) — while untangling his involvement in the deadly Operation Treadstone. —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2025 Murtagh attends the service but won’t sit next to Brian and tries to evade him afterward. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 12 Sep. 2025 The suspect was able to evade capture for well over 24 hours after sniping Kirk from a rooftop at Utah Valley University. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for evade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evade
  1. avoid
  2. escape
Verb
  • Republicans, who say school security and improving mental health services are the best way to avoid future tragedies, have firmly opposed any new gun control measures.
    — Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Nabbing that last prize requires more hot talk, sharply pointed commentary and treading territory Carson usually avoided.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
Definition of avoid
Verb
  • In this week's PEOPLE cover story, Elvis' ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, sets the record straight on the conspiracies that the King of Rock 'n' Roll is still alive and faked his death at age 42 in 1977, in order to escape fame.
    — Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
  • West Ham United is aiming to escape the Premier League's relegation zone when an undefeated Crystal Palace visits the London Stadium on Saturday.
    — Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Definition of escape

Browse Nearby Words

evadable
evade
evaded
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Evade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evade. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on evade

Nglish: Translation of evade for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is it 'autumn' or 'fall'?

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

A Guide to Using Semicolons
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

12 Words Whose History Will Surprise You

More Words with Remarkable Origins
See More

Popular

See More

Is it 'autumn' or 'fall'?

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
vector image of a face with thought expression
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Take a (break/brake) and (pore/pour) over this (c...
See All