Dictionary

evacuation en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ɪˌvækjuˈeɪʃən/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English evacuacioun, from Old French evacuation, from Late Latin ēvacuātiō. Equivalent to evacuate + -ion.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety.
   • The peak of the record-breaking month came during the fourth week, when the railways were called upon to handle the transport side of the official evacuation from the London area. During the first seven days of this evacuation, 175 special trains left the main London termini carrying mothers and children to the safety of the countryside. 1944 September and October, “A Busy Month”, in Railway Magazine, page 259:
   • Roads on either side of the river Rhine will be closed as authorities seal off the large evacuation zone. The Unesco World Heritage Cologne Cathedral sits just outside the area. 2025 June 4, Alex Croft, “Around 20,000 evacuated in Cologne as major bomb defusal operation underway”, in The Independent, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2025, retrieved 20 Feb 2026:
2. (countable, uncountable) Withdrawal of troops or civils from a town, country, fortress, etc.
   • The operating difficulties of this evacuation movement were further intensified by the fact that Sunday, June 2, saw the movement of nearly 48,000 children in 70 trains from Kentish and other East Coast towns, and 32 of these trains originated on the Southern Railway. [...] Moreover, during the period of intensive B.E.F. evacuation, the British railways also carried some 20,000,000 passengers and over 6,000,000 tons of freight. 1940 July, “Notes and News: A Magnificent Transport Achievement”, in Railway Magazine, page 420:
3. (countable, uncountable) The act of emptying, clearing of the contents, or discharging, including creating a vacuum.
4. (countable, uncountable) Voidance of any matter by the natural passages of the body or by an artificial opening; defecation; urination; also, a diminution of the fluids of an animal body by cathartics, venesection, or other means.
   • A large evening meal, deep sleep in a better bed than hers, a full evacuation, a hot bath (her own house had only a cold shower), a breakfast of bacon and eggs and sausages from Crabbe's boy — these had smoothed and restored her. 1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 561:
5. (countable, uncountable) That which is evacuated or discharged; especially, a discharge by stool, urine or other natural means.
   • The Abſcess being broken an Ulcer is left behind, which may be known by the Evacuation of Matter by Vomit and Stool 1685, John Pechey, The Storehouse of Physical Practice:
6. (countable, uncountable) Abolition; nullification.
   • evacuation of all Romish ceremonies [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):

Forms

Deriveds

tactical aeromedical evacuation · CASEVAC · Evacuation Day · voice evacuation · med-evac · evac · nonevacuation · noncombatant evacuation operations · intact dilation and evacuation · self-evacuation

Relateds

evacuee · evacuate · evacuation slide

Translations (103)

lv evakuācija (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · sq evakuim (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ro evacuare (withdrawal of troops or civils from a town) · hy էվակուացիա (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · de Evakuierung (withdrawal of troops or civils from a town) · ar تَخْلِيَة (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ko 피난 (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · hi निकासी (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ar إخْلَاء (withdrawal of troops or civils from a town) · fr évacuation (act of emptying) · tr tahliye (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · de Evakuierung (act of emptying) · ka ევაკუაცია (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · pl wypróżnienie (voidance of matter by natural passages of body) · ro retragere (withdrawal of troops or civils from a town) · cmn 搬空 (act of emptying) · it evacuazione (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · pl ewakuacja (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · grc ὕπαξις (voidance of matter by natural passages of body) · da evakuering (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · it evacuamento (act of emptying) · eo evakuo (withdrawal of troops or civils from a town) · pl ewakuacja (withdrawal of troops or civils from a town) · nl evacuatie (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · tg эвакуация (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · az təxliyə (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · pt evacuação (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · nl evacuatie (act of emptying) · hu kiürítés (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · fi ulostaminen (voidance of matter by natural passages of body) · es evacuación (voidance of matter by natural passages of body) · ca evacuació (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · az boşaldılma (act of emptying) · el κένωση (voidance of matter by natural passages of body) · ru испражне́ние (voidance of matter by natural passages of body) · ko 대피 (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · hu székletürítés (voidance of matter by natural passages of body) · sh евакуа́ција (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ar تَفْرِيغ (act of emptying) · eo evakuado (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · cmn 撤離 /撤离 (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ro evacuație (withdrawal of troops or civils from a town) · cs evakuace (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · th อพยพ (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · az boşaltma (act of emptying) · bg евакуа́ция (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · hu evakuálás (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · lt evakuacija (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ota تخلیه (act of emptying) · hu kiürítés (act of emptying) · el εκκένωση (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · sv evakuering (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · hi रिक्त करना (act of emptying) · enm purgacioun (voidance of matter by natural passages of body) · ar إخْلَاء (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · sh evakuácija (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · km អពយព (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · pt evacuação (act of emptying) · eo evakuo (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ru эвакуа́ция (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ja 避難 (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · hu kimenekítés (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · sv utrymning (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · cmn 後送 /后送 (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · lo ອົບພະຍົບ (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · cs vyprázdnění (act of emptying) · fi vetäminen pois (withdrawal of troops or civils from a town) · vi sự tản cư (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ro evacuare (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · de Evakuierung (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · fi tyhjentäminen (act of emptying) · fi erittäminen (voidance of matter by natural passages of body) · hu kitelepítés (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · be эвакуа́цыя (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · vi sự sơ tán (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ru опорожне́ние (act of emptying) · sl evakuacija (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ko 철수 (withdrawal of troops or civils from a town) · es evacuación (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · fi evakuointi (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · tg тахлия (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · cmn 疏散 (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · hu ürítés (voidance of matter by natural passages of body) · fi evakuointi (withdrawal of troops or civils from a town) · mk евакуација (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · et evakuatsioon (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ru эвакуа́ция (withdrawal of troops or civils from a town) · ky эвакуация (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · uz evakuatsiya (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · kk эвакуация (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · sk evakuácia (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · nb evakuering (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · nb evakuering (act of emptying) · es evacuación (act of emptying) · fr évacuation (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ca evacuació (act of emptying) · hy տարհանում (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · ar تَخْلِيَة (act of emptying) · el εκκένωση (act of emptying) · uk евакуа́ція (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · az evakuasiya (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · fa تخلیه (act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety) · eo evakuado (withdrawal of troops or civils from a town)