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:
Our titular heroine is only 13 years old when her escapade begins – a little more mature than most of the director’s protagonists, but still innocent enough not to be jaded.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
A group of killer whales have been documented blowing a sunfish to bits in an unusual underwater escapade offering never-before-seen insights into orca behaviour, according to research released Thursday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
The movie has no time to mine the psychology underneath their clash, let alone summon a sniffle for the other pitiful characters who die during this escapade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
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
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
Co-creators Joe Wengert and Aubrey Plaza, along with the star-studded comedy cast, talk about their adult animated series for Prime Video featuring talking animals and their escapades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 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
Each 11-minute episode follows mundane escapades, like hosting a movie night or getting in a hot tub, punctuated by a somewhat disturbing art style and clumsy-on-purpose animation that strays into the uncanny valley.
From Salon ● Dec. 26, 2025
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
“You have to be rich to waste time going on escapades at night instead of catching up on precious sleep.”
From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
