1. (v. t.) To get away from by artifice; to avoid by dexterity; to elude; as, to evade a blow, a pursuer, a punishment\; to evade the force of an argument.

2. (v. t.) To escape; to slip away; -- sometimes with from.

3. (v. t.) To attempt to escape; to practice artifice or sophistry, for the purpose of eluding.

abstain around the bush avoid back and fill bail out beat about beg beg the question bicker bilk blench blink boggle break away break jail break loose bypass cavil cheat choplogic circumvent cop out cringe cut loose deceive ditch dodge double draw back duck duck the issue elude equivocate escape escape prison eschew evade the issue fade fall back falsify fence flee flinch fly fly the coop foil frustrate fudge get around get away get away from get clear of get free get out get out of get round give the runaround give the slip go one better hang back hedge hem and haw hum and haw jib jump lie make a getaway mince the truth mince words mystify nitpick obscure outfigure outflank outgeneral outguess outmaneuver outplay outreach outsmart outwit overreach palter parry pass the buck pick nits prevaricate pull back pussyfoot quail quibble recoil reel back retreat shake shake off sheer off shift shift about shirk shrink shrink back shuffle shuffle out of shun shy sidestep sit it out skip skirt slip away slip the collar split hairs stand neuter start aside start back stonewall straddle swerve tergiversate thwart trim turn aside victimize waffle weasel weasel out wince