escort
Americannoun
-
escorts
plural
-
a group of persons, or a single person, accompanying another or others for protection, guidance, or courtesy.
An escort of sailors accompanied the queen.
-
an armed guard, as a body of soldiers or ships.
The president traveled with a large escort of motorcycle police.
-
a man or boy who accompanies a woman or girl in public, as to a social event.
-
a person, especially a woman female escort, but sometimes a man male escort, who is paid to go on a date with a client, and usually to engage in sex acts for money.
-
protection, safeguard, or guidance on a journey.
to travel without escort.
- Synonyms:
- convoy
verb (used with object)
-
escorts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
escorted,
past participle, past
-
escorting
present participle
noun
-
one or more persons, soldiers, vehicles, etc, accompanying another or others for protection, guidance, restraint, or as a mark of honour
-
a man or youth who accompanies a woman or girl
he was her escort for the evening
-
-
a person, esp a young woman, who may be hired to accompany another for entertainment, etc
-
( as modifier )
an escort agency
-
verb
Synonym Usage
See accompany.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
escortsimple
-
escortssimple
-
have escortedperfect
-
has escortedperfect
-
am escortingprogressive
-
are escortingprogressive
-
is escortingprogressive
-
have been escortingperfect progressive
-
has been escortingperfect progressive
Past
-
escortedsimple
-
had escortedperfect
-
was escortingprogressive
-
were escortingprogressive
-
had been escortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of escort
First recorded in 1570–80; from French, from Italian scorta, derivative of scorgere “to conduct, guide,” from Vulgar Latin excorrigere (unrecorded); see ex- 1, correct
Explanation
When you go somewhere, whether it's for fun or business, it's always nice to have an escort — someone to go along with you. Some escorts are there to protect you, some just to share a good time. The word escort can be a noun or a verb — "your escort escorts you." This word is derived from the Latin excorrigere, "to set out," and moved through the Italian scorgere, meaning "to guide." In the 1570s it took on a military tone as escorte, used to describe armed protectors for travelers. In the 19th century it came to mean "accompanying a person on social occasions," although we still refer to military escorts today.
Vocabulary lists containing escort
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 26–31
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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Tears of a Tiger
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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:
Twenty-three-year-old Liu Yanyan, for instance, works as a "medical escort".
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Patel also directed Wilkins’ security detail to escort one of her allegedly drunk friends home after a night out in Nashville, MS Now reported in December 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
In 2025, a female humpback whale was observed off the southern Gold Coast with an escort whale after apparently giving birth to a deceased calf.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
“I will escort you to the supermarket,” she insisted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Nyla and Crick escort me toward an open pod near the decontamination sector.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
His escorts asked the FBI to hurry up because onlookers were watching and he was placed on board the plane.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
SoFi Stadium aced the physical infrastructure with working elevators, wheelchair escorts and accessible seating with clear sightlines on every level.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
That refers to a “first group” of tankers or ship operators willing to cross the strait, likely with naval coordination and escorts.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
Macron said Oman had already agreed to Western naval escorts.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
After the meeting, Agent Magnus escorts me to an elevator named Whispers, which surprisingly shouts out the name of every floor we pass.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
"To address this the new arrangements involved learners being escorted to the toilet during the lessons either side of the lunch break, when incidents were most prevalent."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Parents were initially told that all secondary-age pupils asking to use the toilet during a lesson would be escorted by a member of the pastoral team to the entrance of the toilet block.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The fan eventually was escorted out of the seating area but was allowed to return to his seat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
"When I joined police 15 months ago they said to be ready for anything, so I guess this demonstrates that's true!" said Constable Taylor, who escorted the pup.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
The soldier escorted Jake and Kojo to the National Military Command Center, what some called the War Room.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
He said the eight sailors included "the Lincoln crew and sailors from the carrier airwing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and all embarked aviation squadrons".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Marshals escorting a 6-year-old Ruby Bridges to her newly integrated school, is showcased on a wall of its own, despite not belonging to Lucas or the museum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
She added that since the trial began, prison officers have changed the way of escorting her.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Nagraj, 46, managed the paid caregivers working at his in-laws’ house while coordinating doctors’ appointments for his father-in-law, and escorting him to them.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
“It’s getting to the point where folks can’t step outside the Thicket without one of us gods escorting them. Even then it can get iffy.”
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
