evacuate
ih-VAK-yoo-ayt
/ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt/
To remove people from a place of danger to a safer area; or to empty a place of its occupants.
Implies an urgent, organized departure driven by an impending or active threat.
The story behind the word. The word comes from Latin 'evacuare', meaning 'to empty out', formed from 'e-' (out) and 'vacuus' (empty). Historically used in medicine to describe purging fluids, by the 19th century it shifted to military and civil defense contexts to describe emptying places or clearing populations away from danger.
Word relationships
- vacate: 'Vacate' means to leave a space empty, whereas 'evacuate' specifically implies leaving due to danger.
- clear out: 'Clear out' is an informal phrase, while 'evacuate' is an official administrative or safety term.
- occupy: 'Occupy' means to enter and remain in a building or location.
- inhabit: 'Inhabit' refers to living in a place continuously.
Commonly confused with
- vacate: You vacate a rented apartment when your lease ends; you evacuate a building when the fire alarm rings.
Word family
- evacuation (noun): The act or process of evacuating an area.
- evacuee (noun): A person who has been evacuated from a dangerous place.
Collocations
- evacuate residents
- ordered to evacuate
- evacuate the area
- safely evacuate
Example sentences
- "Authorities ordered coastal residents to evacuate immediately as the wildfire advanced toward the township." Public safety announcement during a wildfire
- "The government made plans to evacuate thousands of children from urban centers during the heavy bombing raids." Historical emergency response
Memory hook
Think of an EVA-porating liquid leaving a glass completely VACUUM-empty. Empty out people before danger hits.
When not to use
Do not use for casually leaving a room or going on vacation; it requires an element of safety, danger, or formal emptying.
Fun facts
- In medical history, 'evacuate' referred to clearing the bowels or drawing blood before it meant moving people away from fires.
Explore more words
excavate, isolate, withdraw, depopulation, protect, displacement
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