Meaning & use
voluntary evacuation
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
an official request or recommendation for people to leave a dangerous area, rather than a legal order.
Grammar: Can be used with an or the when referring to a specific event: a voluntary evacuation; or without an article when talking about the policy in general.
Patterns
- order a voluntary evacuation
- call for a voluntary evacuation
- a voluntary evacuation order
Officials issued a voluntary evacuation for low-lying neighborhoods as the river rose.
The mayor called for a voluntary evacuation before the hurricane made landfall.
A voluntary evacuation means residents can choose to stay, but they do so at their own risk.
Common combinations
- issue a voluntary evacuation
- The county issued a voluntary evacuation for coastal areas.
- voluntary evacuation order
- The voluntary evacuation order was later upgraded to a mandatory one.
- call for a voluntary evacuation
- The governor called for a voluntary evacuation of the flood zone.
- under a voluntary evacuation
- The island is under a voluntary evacuation as the storm approaches.
Synonyms and how they differ
- recommended evacuation
- Similar meaning, but 'recommended' stresses advice rather than the choice to leave.
- precautionary evacuation
- Focuses on acting early to avoid danger, not on whether it is required.
Opposites
Word family
- evacuate verb
- To move people away from a dangerous place.
- evacuation noun
- The act of leaving or moving people from a dangerous area.
- evacuee noun
- A person who has been moved away from a dangerous place.
Commonly confused: voluntary evacuation or mandatory evacuation?
voluntary evacuation vs mandatory evacuation
This is legally required and may be enforced; voluntary evacuation is only advised.
Practice
During the wildfire, the authorities _____ a voluntary evacuation for nearby towns.
Choose one answer.
The usual verb with 'evacuation' in official contexts is 'issue' (issue an order/evacuation). 'Made' and 'did' are too general, and 'took' does not collocate with 'evacuation' in this sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “voluntary evacuation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.