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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

e·va·sion

Audio Help [i-vey-zhuh

n] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	an act or instance of escaping, avoiding, or shirking something: evasion of one's duty.

2.	the avoiding of an argument, accusation, question, or the like, as by a subterfuge: The old political boss was notorious for his practice of evasion.

3.	a means of evading; subterfuge; an excuse or trick to avoid or get around something: Her polite agreement was an evasion concealing what she really felt.

4.	physical or mental escape.

5.	an act or instance of violating the tax laws by failing or refusing to pay all or part of one's taxes.

[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME < L évāsiōn- (s. of évāsiō), equiv. to évās(us) (ptp. of évādere to go out; see evade) + -iōn- -ion

]

—Related forms

e·va·sion·al, adjective

—Synonyms 1. avoidance, dodging. 2. prevarication, equivocation, quibbling.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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evasion

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

e·va·sion Audio Help (ĭ-vā'zhən) Pronunciation Key
n.

The act or an instance of evading.
A means of evading; a subterfuge.

[Middle English evasioun, from Old French evasion, from Late Latin ēvāsiō, ēvāsiōn-, from Latin ēvāsus, past participle of ēvādere, to evade; see evade.]

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
evasion

c.1425, from L.L. evasionem (nom. evasio), from stem of L. evadere "to escape" (see evade). Evasive (in reference to actions, utterances) is from 1744.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

evasion
noun
1.	a statement that is not literally false but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth
2.	the deliberate act of failing to pay money; "his evasion of all his creditors"; "he was indicted for nonpayment" [ant: defrayal]
3.	nonperformance of something distasteful (as by deceit or trickery) that you are supposed to do; "his evasion of his clear duty was reprehensible"; "that escape from the consequences is possible but unattractive"
4.	the act of physically escaping from something (an opponent or a pursuer or an unpleasant situation) by some adroit maneuver

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Evasion

E*va"sion\, n. [L. evasio: cf. F. ['e]vasion. See Evade.] The act of eluding or avoiding, particularly the pressure of an argument, accusation, charge, or interrogation; artful means of eluding.

Thou . . . by evasions thy crime uncoverest more. --Milton.

Syn: Shift; subterfuge; shuffling; prevarication; equivocation.

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