getaway
Americannoun
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a getting away or fleeing; an escape.
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the start of a race.
a fast getaway.
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a place where one escapes for relaxation, vacation, etc., or a period of time for such recreation.
a little seaside getaway; a two-week getaway in the Bahamas.
adjective
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used as a means of escape or fleeing.
a stolen getaway car.
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used for occasional relaxation, retreat, or reclusion.
a weekend getaway house.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of getaway
First recorded in 1850–55; noun use of verb phrase get away
Explanation
A getaway is a speedy escape, like the getaway bank robbers make when they flee the crime scene in a car. The word getaway is so often used for fleeing criminals that it's also a way to describe the vehicle they use: "Follow that getaway car!" A completely different type of getaway is a vacation, like your family's weekend getaway to the Catskills last summer. The "escape" meaning is older, and it originally referred to foxes that eluded hunters.
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.
Inspired by a 2016 true-crime story, Sing L. Lee’s strong debut “The Accidental Getaway Driver” is a human-sized thriller set across several blue-black nights off the grid in Orange County.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2025
To fans' delight, the pair even staged a goofy reenactment of the Getaway Car recording session, where they wrote the song's bridge in a 30-second burst of inspiration.
From BBC • Aug. 20, 2024
DIY SOS built a brand-new home for Leeds-based CiN-funded project Getaway Girls, which saw Nick Knowles and his team work alongside Radio 2 presenters and a group of volunteers.
From BBC • Nov. 17, 2022
He set off alone from Miami for a four-night cruise to the Bahamas in September on the Norwegian Cruise Line Getaway ship.
From Washington Post • May 26, 2022
"Getaway," she cried behind her lit hand, because her palm was to her mouth and above it her eyes showing the terror in their whites, "where did you get this?"
From The Vertical City by Hurst, Fannie
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.
