From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtake evasive actiontake evasive actionAVOIDto move or do something quickly to avoid someone being hurt Both pilots took evasive action and a collision was avoided. → evasive
Examples from the Corpus
take evasive action• He could neither move to attack nor take evasive action.• He says they picked it up on the radar and had to take evasive action.• If the Nations Air crew had been alerted, it might not have had to take evasive action.• The alarm call stimulates other nearby blackbirds to take evasive action.• When the current recession gripped, they decided to take evasive action.• The military experts taught her how to take evasive action and speed away from danger.• A party of puffins had to take evasive action as they nearly flew into the side of the ship.• Not bad for a graduate in literature and one who normally took evasive action at the sight of a screwdriver. 