Definition of: evacuate

(i·vak′y·āt) v. ·at·ed, ·at·ing v.t.
1. Mil. a To give up or abandon possession of; withdraw from, as a fortress or city. b To withdraw (troops, inhabitants, etc.) from a threatened area or place.
2. To make empty; vacate.
3. To remove the contents of.
4. Physiol. To discharge or eject, as from the bowels.
—v.i.
5. To withdraw, as from a threatened area or place. [<L evacuatus, pp. of evacuare <e- out + vacuare make empty <vacuus empty]
—e·vac′u·a′tive, e·vac′u·a·to′ry (-tôr′ē, -tō′rē) adjective
—e·vac′u·a′tor noun