flee

American  

[flee] / fli /

verb (used without object)

• flees,
  present (3rd person singular)
• fled,
  past participle,  past
• fleeing
  present participle

1. to run away, as from danger or pursuers; take flight.

2. to move swiftly; fly; speed.

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verb (used with object)

• flees,
  present (3rd person singular)
• fled,
  past participle,  past
• fleeing
  present participle

1. to run away from (a place, person, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   elude, shun, avoid, escape, evade

flee ¹ British  

/ fliː /

verb

1. to run away from (a place, danger, etc); fly

   to flee the country

2. (intr) to run or move quickly; rush; speed

   she fled to the door

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flee ² British  

/ fliː /

verb

1. a Scot word for fly 1

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noun

1. a Scot word for fly 2

Usage

What does flee mean? To flee is to run away or escape from a dangerous or otherwise negative situation. Much less commonly, flee can be used to mean to move at a fast pace. The past tense of flee is fled. Example: He was forced to flee his home as a result of the impending battle.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fleer
  noun
• outflee
  verb (used with object)
• unfleeing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• fleeing
  present
• fled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• flee
  simple
• flees
  simple
• have fled
  perfect
• has fled
  perfect
• am fleeing
  progressive
• are fleeing
  progressive
• is fleeing
  progressive
• have been fleeing
  perfect progressive
• has been fleeing
  perfect progressive

Past

• fled
  simple
• had fled
  perfect
• was fleeing
  progressive
• were fleeing
  progressive
• had been fleeing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will flee
  simple
• will have fled
  perfect
• will be fleeing
  progressive
• will have been fleeing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of flee

First recorded before 900; Middle English fleen, Old English flēon; cognate with Old High German flichan ( German fliehen ), Gothic thliuhan; compare Old English fleogan “to fly”; see also fly ²

Explanation

If you bolt, scram, skedaddle, or get the heck of out Dodge, you flee. You run away fast. Don’t confuse flee with "flea." They sound alike, but the second kind is an insect whose bites make you itch. We get the word flee from Old English fleon. When you flee, you get away as quickly as you can. You might even take flight to escape — usually from a dangerous place or situation. In a moment of panic after stealing a cookie from the cookie jar, you might decide to flee the scene of the crime.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flee flees fled fleeing

Whales seem less inclined to flee from electric boats, said marine scientist Giulia Ercoletti, now the head of training at Brim.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Meanwhile, A-level student Dominic Abdullah was forced to flee shortly after he had got his results on Thursday.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

A witness alleged that the e-bike rider tried to flee but was detained by horrified onlookers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

France, which has already suffered a series of major fires this season, was facing another one in the southwest that has already forced more than 500 people to flee, officials said Friday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Later, the Reyes family home was destroyed in the Battle of Manila and the family was forced to flee on foot.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Surprise, surprise: Tony doesn’t get the fellowship, and instead, flees his childhood home early in the morning to catch a bus and a ferry to Provincetown.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

After one brutal experience, he flees into the woods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026

Metals traders lose at least $144 million as ‘Hat’ flees China.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 2, 2026

As Jay flees Hollywood, the city and its people continue to haunt him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025

The Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it’!” he read aloud.

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling

"We fled with nothing. Just the clothes on our backs. We're victims; we're going through a disaster," said Mbay resident Siti Saudah Daso, a 31-year-old mother of three.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

“When it became clear that Perez was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and harming himself, they immediately fled to protect the children from witnessing any further trauma,” the statement read.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Ms. Rogoyska describes how the Lutetia became a haven for those who had fled the Nazis as well as those who were aligned with them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The franchise fled further and further from coastal cultural centers, shifting from the “Real World” of New York City and Chicago to the air-conditioned enclaves of New Jersey and the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Nhamo, burning with embarrassment, gathered up the dishes and fled.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Her husband "managed to grab one little dog" before fleeing the shaking building, Paredes said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Edber said the court found her mental state played no role in the alleged crimes and denied her bail, noting she discussed on a jail call fleeing to her native Israel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

It was with the help of other people fleeing el-Fasher that she was taken to receive medical help.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The blaze originated in the stern, sending passengers fleeing to the bow where they were all given life jackets, Muhammad said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

I rushed forward and was almost knocked over by a man fleeing.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

Related Words

• depart
• desert
• fly
• get
• jump
• leave
• retreat
• take off
• vanish