refuge

American  

[ref-yooj] / ˈrɛf judʒ /

noun

• refuges
  plural

1. shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc..

   to take refuge from a storm.

   Synonyms:

   safety, security

2. a place of shelter, protection, or safety.

   Synonyms:

   stronghold, haven, sanctuary, retreat, asylum

3. anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape.

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verb (used with object)

refuged, refuging

1. Archaic. to afford refuge to.

verb (used without object)

refuged, refuging

1. Archaic. to take refuge.

refuge British  

/ ˈrɛfjuːdʒ /

noun

1. shelter or protection, as from the weather or danger

2. any place, person, action, or thing that offers or appears to offer protection, help, or relief

   accused of incompetence, he took refuge in lying

3. another name for traffic island

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verb

1. archaic to take refuge or give refuge to

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• refuges
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of refuge

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin refugium, from refug(ere) “to turn and flee, run away” ( re- re- + fugere “to flee”; see fugitive) + -ium -ium

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Explanation

To take refuge is to find a safe place. You might take refuge under a bridge in a hail storm, or in a basement during a tornado. Refuge comes from a French word meaning "to flee," and, in most cases, a refuge is a place to flee to in order to get away from people or places that are unsafe. A refuge is a safe place, such as a building or even another country, as in "they sought refuge from the war by leaving their homeland," or it is a simple, personal place of comfort — like a friend's couch.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

refuge refuges refuged refuging

Some residents took refuge in camper vans and trailers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

Shade: Sitting on the saddle-like seat in open water, riders have no refuge from the sun or ocean’s upward glare.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

A resident of one of the buildings that was hit, who identified herself as Iryna, 69, said she just had time to seek refuge in the toilets after receiving an air raid warning.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

Our investigation has found that other Syrian officials connected to the Tice case have also apparently found refuge abroad.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Lee Grant settled into the car that would take him away from the farm where he’d found refuge, after running away from home.

From "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Mobile home parks in Carson are among the last refuges of affordable housing for many residents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

When the trees of the Singer Tract were at last clear-cut beginning in 1937, however, the wolves it had harbored were shot on sight, as they were when the leases of other refuges expired.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

Tehran's many parks, usually green lungs in a metropolis often choked by pollution, have become refuges since the fighting began.

From Barron's ● Apr. 2, 2026

Instead of a continuous hard shoulder, there are refuges every mile.

From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026

These particular refuges occupy critical positions in the conservation of western waterfowl.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

“People are homeless, they have been refuged to the mountains.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 21, 2022

There I refuged myself till the night came, beat upon by the waves till the breath was well-nigh battered out of my body.

From With Drake on the Spanish Main by Herbert Strang

A hungry wolf had thinned the fold, Safely he refuged on the wold; And, as in den secure he lay, The thefts of night regaled his day.

From Fables of John Gay (Somewhat Altered) by John Gay

Of the native population many refuged in the Albanian mountains, where they retained their language.

From Twenty Years Of Balkan Tangle by M. E. (Mary Edith) Durham

Still, at the very bottom of her heart lay two thoughts, in which her hope refuged itself.

From The Wide, Wide World by Susan Warner

Debarred the healthier paths of life, man rushes for employment to the refuging muse; and rightly so, for he finds an employment ornamental and useful still.

From Fables of John Gay (Somewhat Altered) by John Gay

The long snug harbour of Mahon, which was in the days of canvas wings almost always filled with craft refuging, is now in this era of steam usually tenantless.

From The Recipe for Diamonds by Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne

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Related Words

• asylum
• fortress
• haven
• hideaway
• hideout
• hiding place
• protection
• resort
• retreat
• sanctuary
• security
• shelter
• stronghold

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