escapade
Americannoun
-
a wild or exciting adventure, esp one that is mischievous or unlawful; scrape
-
any lighthearted or carefree episode; prank; romp
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of escapade
1645–55; < French < Spanish escapada, equivalent to escap ( ar ) to escape + -ada -ade 1
Explanation
An escapade is an adventure, tinged with a hint of danger. A road trip could be an escapade, or a few weeks making a living as a professional gambler, or posing as your twin sister and taking a test for her in math. You'll notice the similarities between the words escapade and escape. Usually an escapade involves some form of escape. If you cut class and spend the day at the beach, that's an escapade. If you cut class to watch former figure-skating greats boogying to Broadway tunes on ice, that's an escapade at the Ice Capades.
Vocabulary lists containing escapade
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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The Boy on the Wooden Box
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The Egypt Game
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But “Venetian Vespers” is more entertaining than sobering; a stylish escapade that even Henry James might relish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
Until this escapade, though, we didn’t quite realize the extent to which no one is in charge: Nobody knows how decisions are made or even whether they are made or simply tumble out randomly.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2025
Their ensuing escapade will surely reach doom levels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2025
At the end of Gaga and Beyoncé's "Thelma & Louise"-inspired escapade, a title card teases, To be continued…
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2025
I know we probably watched TV and played Hot Wheels and Lego, probably battled over Pokemon cards, but the purple elephant escapade wasn’t a one-time deal.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
Kopke, who has suggested this year will be his last time participating, has likened the popular interest in his cheese-rolling escapades to the pastimes of ancient civilisations.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
OK, so all of that’s totally true, but “Kevin” is mostly a silly, raunchy animated series with a star-studded comedy cast about talking animals and their escapades in a life generally free of human owners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026
The warhorse Wawrinka departed for a medical timeout after the third set as his Melbourne escapades caught up with him.
From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026
As a trip planner for a travel company, the 37-year-old said quirky escapades are “on brand” for her during frequent trips abroad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
A man of no consequence, except a tiny reputation as a tracker based on one or two escapades signaling his expertise in reading trails.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
