Skip to content

escape

/ɪˈskeɪp/noun, verb2 syllables

Escape means: flee; take to one's heels; cut and run.

Synonyms for escape31

noun, as in a valve in a container in which pressure can build up (as a steam boiler); it opens automatically when the pressure reaches a dangerous level

safety valve, relief valve, escape valve, escape cock

noun, as in the discharge of a fluid from some container

leak, leakage, outflow

noun, as in nonperformance of something distasteful (as by deceit or trickery) that you are supposed to do

noun, as in the act of escaping physically

noun, as in an inclination to retreat from unpleasant realities through diversion or fantasy

escapism

verb, as in flee; take to one's heels; cut and run

scat, run, scarper, turn tail, lam, run away, hightail it, bunk, head for the hills, take to the woods, fly the coop, break away

verb, as in escape potentially unpleasant consequences; get away with a forbidden action

get off, get away, get by, get out

verb, as in run away from confinement

get away, break loose

verb, as in fail to experience

verb, as in be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by

elude

verb, as in remove oneself from a familiar environment, usually for pleasure or diversion

get away

also used for escape

take it on the lam

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does escape mean?15

verb

1

flee; take to one's heels; cut and run“If you see this man, run!”

2

escape potentially unpleasant consequences; get away with a forbidden action“She gets away with murder!”

3

run away from confinement“The convicted murderer escaped from a high security prison”

4

fail to experience“Fortunately, I missed the hurricane”

5

be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by“What you are seeing in him eludes me”

6

remove oneself from a familiar environment, usually for pleasure or diversion“We escaped to our summer house for a few days”

7

issue or leak, as from a small opening“Gas escaped into the bedroom”

noun

1

a valve in a container in which pressure can build up (as a steam boiler); it opens automatically when the pressure reaches a dangerous level

2

the discharge of a fluid from some container“they tried to stop the escape of gas from the damaged pipe”

3

nonperformance of something distasteful (as by deceit or trickery) that you are supposed to do“his evasion of his clear duty was reprehensible”

4

the act of escaping physically“he made his escape from the mental hospital”

5

an inclination to retreat from unpleasant realities through diversion or fantasy“romantic novels were her escape from the stress of daily life”

6

an avoidance of danger or difficulty“that was a narrow escape”

7

a means or way of escaping“hard work was his escape from worry”

8

a plant originally cultivated but now growing wild

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with escape?8

four syllables

videotape
Show 40 near rhymes

Escape in a sentence

  • It is better that ten guilty persons escape, than that one innocent suffer.Scott
  • He won't be able to escape from there without a miracle, will he?CK
  • In an attempt to escape, the bandit took the lives of four hostages.marcelostockle
  • We don't want all the prisoners to escape, do we?CK
  • If he dies, we will not escape punishment.carlosalberto
  • Regulus, the dog, waited for the exact moment to escape from his evil owner.Eccles17
  • Despite everything, we still managed to escape from the cave.Micsmithel
  • It still isn't time to leave work, and everyone wants to escape.sharris123

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of escape

as a noun

plural
escapes

as a verb

past tense
escaped
present participle
escaping
third-person singular
escapes
past participle
escaped