Meaning & use
avoid capture
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
to succeed in not being caught by someone who is chasing or looking for you
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase. It does not take an object: you avoid capture, not avoid capture someone.
Patterns
- avoid capture by doing something
- avoid capture for a time
The spy managed to avoid capture by hiding in a safe house.
The fugitive avoided capture for three weeks before turning himself in.
They used a secret tunnel to avoid capture by the soldiers.
phrasefixed phrasetechnical
to prevent something from being taken or recorded, especially in a technical or business setting
Grammar: Often used in passive or technical contexts, e.g., 'the data avoided capture'.
Patterns
- avoid capture of something
- avoid capture by a system
The company changed its encryption to avoid capture of sensitive data by hackers.
Some animals have evolved colors that help them avoid capture by predators.
Common combinations
- avoid capture by
- The rebels avoided capture by moving at night.
- avoid capture for
- He avoided capture for months.
- manage to avoid capture
- She managed to avoid capture despite the manhunt.
- help someone avoid capture
- The villagers helped the soldier avoid capture.
Synonyms and how they differ
- evade capture
- More formal and often used in military or legal contexts; it emphasizes actively escaping.
- escape capture
- Focuses on getting away after being caught or surrounded, rather than staying free from the start.
- elude capture
- Similar but slightly more literary; often used when someone cleverly avoids being caught.
Opposites
Commonly confused: avoid capture or escape?
avoid capture vs escape
Escape means to get free from a place or situation, often after being caught. Avoid capture means you were never caught in the first place.
Practice
The robber hid in the forest to ______ capture by the police.
Choose one answer.
'Avoid capture' is the correct phrase meaning to not be caught. 'Escape capture' would mean getting away after being caught, and 'evade capture' is possible but less common in this exact pattern. 'Prevent capture' is too general and does not fit the context of a person hiding.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “avoid capture”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.