flee

[flee]

verb (used without object)

fled, fleeing 

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

2. to move swiftly; fly; speed.

verb (used with object)

fled, fleeing 

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

   Synonyms: elude, shun, avoid, escape, evade

flee

¹

/ 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

flee

²

/ fliː /

verb

1. a Scot word for fly 1

noun

1. a Scot word for fly 2

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of flee¹

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”; fly ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of flee¹

Old English flēon ; related to Old Frisian fliā , Old High German fliohan , Gothic thliuhan

Example Sentences

Surviving relatives of Tsar Nicholas II also lived there after fleeing to the UK, following the murder of other family members by Bolsheviks in 1918.

Read more on BBC

Their potential tax collaboration could be so bad that high earners might even flee to my state.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Rebel fighters bombed civilians trying to flee the city and hit hospitals and refugee camps with drone strikes and shelling, according to humanitarian officials.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

More than half of Jordan's population is of Palestinian descent, and over decades, the country has taken in 2.3 million Palestinian refugees fleeing earlier wars with Israel - the largest number in the region.

Read more on BBC

Financiers fleeing the coasts want to know that the state’s business climate will remain friendly in the future.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.