evacuate

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Definition of evacuate

verb

[with object]

1remove (someone) from a place of danger to a safer place:several families were evacuated from their homes
leave or cause the occupants to leave (a place of danger):fire alarms forced staff to evacuate the building [no object]:nearly five million had to evacuate because of air terror
(of troops) withdraw from (a place):the last British troops evacuated the Canal Zone

2 technical remove air, water, or other contents from (a container):when it springs a leak, evacuate the pond
empty (the bowels or another bodily organ): patients evacuated their bowels before dialysis
discharge (faeces or other matter) from the body: the bowel functions to evacuate solid waste products

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'clear the contents of'): from Latin evacuat- '(of the bowels) emptied', from the verb evacuare, from e- (variant of ex-) 'out of' + vacuus 'empty'

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Definition of evacuate in the US English dictionary

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evacuate

verb

Origin:

evacuate in other Oxford dictionaries

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