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evacuate

ih-VAK-yoo-ayt /ɪˈvækjueɪt/

verbB2TOEFLIELTSSAT

generalformal

To move people out of a place of danger to a safe place; or to empty a space.

Strictly speaking, people evacuate from a location, or an authority evacuates a location (empties it).

The story behind the word. From Latin 'evacuare' (to make empty), rooted in 'vacuus' (empty). Historically used in medical contexts before shifting in the 19th century to clearing people from hazardous locations.

Word relationships

clear out: Clear out is informal and lacks the urgent life-safety context of evacuate.
vacate: Vacate means leaving a property or seat legally or physically, without emergency connotations.

occupy: To inhabit or remain within a space.
shelter-in-place: To stay indoors and seal doors/windows rather than leaving the area.

Commonly confused with

vacate: Vacate simply means leaving a space empty (like a rental unit), whereas evacuate implies escaping an active danger.

Word family

evacuation (noun): The act of clearing people from a dangerous area.
evacuee (noun): A person evacuated from a dangerous place.

Collocations

evacuate residents
evacuate the area
evacuate immediately
order to evacuate

Example sentences

"Police officers ordered residents to evacuate the three-block radius surrounding the overturned chemical tanker." Disaster response instruction
"When the chlorine gas alarm sounded, workers evacuated the facility within four minutes." Industrial safety alert

Memory hook

EVACUATE makes an area VACANT because of VACUUS (empty). Empty out the danger zone.

When not to use

Avoid using to mean simply taking a short break or leaving a room casually.

Fun facts

Grammarians once argued that only places could be evacuated (emptied), but modern usage fully accepts 'evacuating people'.