evasion

noun

eva·​sion i-ˈvā-zhən How to pronounce evasion (audio)
ē-
Synonyms of evasionnext
1
: a means of evading : dodge
Bankruptcy becomes a kind of evasion when firms, some of them still profitable, attempt to avoid obligations that are merely inconvenient.—Mary Graham
2
: the act or an instance of evading : escape
suspected of tax evasion

Synonyms of evasion

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of evasion in a Sentence

He was arrested for tax evasion. They came up with an evasion of the law to keep all the land for themselves. His reply was nothing but careful evasions.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Fan largely disappeared from Chinese screens after a 2018 tax evasion case. — Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026 Molloy’s fraud was on Southeastern, a National Rail operator, rather than the Tube, but fare evasion still costs London’s transit system heavily. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026 Devon Horton, former DeKalb County School District superintendent, pleaded guilty to federal charges of wire fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion Monday morning, Jason Armesto reports. — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 6 Oct. 2026 The new law further develops criteria to help show an LLC as a shell company involved in a potential tax evasion scheme. — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for evasion

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Late Latin; Anglo-French, from Late Latin evasion-, evasio, from Latin evadere to evade

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of evasion was in the 15th century

Rhymes for evasion

See All Rhymes for evasion

Browse Nearby Words

evasé
evasion
evasional
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Evasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evasion. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

evasion

noun
eva·​sion i-ˈvā-zhən How to pronounce evasion (audio)
1
: a means of evading
2
: the act or an instance of evading : escape
tax evasion

Legal Definition

evasion

noun
eva·​sion i-ˈvā-zhən How to pronounce evasion (audio)
1
: a means of evading
2
: the act or an instance of evading see also tax evasion
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deportment

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
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?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All