abscond
verb (used without object)
to depart in a sudden and secret manner, especially to avoid capture and legal prosecution.
absconded
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past participleof abscond.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof abscond.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
abscondverb (used without object)to depart in a sudden and secret manner, especially to avoid capture and legal prosecution.
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.
Anderson was released from Maghaberry Prison to attend the funeral, but absconded from his court-approved civilian chaperone.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Sean Middlebrough, 33, originally from Liverpool, absconded in October last year after being granted bail for his brother's wedding.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Khalife sparked a nationwide manhunt when he absconded from HMP Wandsworth, where he was awaiting trial on spying charges, by tying himself to the bottom of a food delivery truck.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Crypto firms are racing to backstop the industry’s biggest decentralized lender after North Korea-linked hackers absconded with $190 million from the platform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
The nostalgia is the stronger and the more ambiguous because he is really ‘in quest of his own absconded self yet scared to find it’.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
