escape

American  

[ih-skeyp] / ɪˈskeɪp /

verb (used without object)

escapes, present (3rd person singular) escaped, past participle, past escaping present participle

1. to slip or get away, as from confinement or restraint; gain or regain liberty.

   to escape from jail.

   Synonyms:

   decamp, abscond, flee

2. to slip away from pursuit or peril; avoid capture, punishment, or any threatened evil.

3. to issue from a confining enclosure, as a fluid.

4. to slip away; fade.

   The words escaped from memory.

5. Botany. (of an originally cultivated plant) to grow wild.

6. (of a rocket, molecule, etc.) to achieve escape velocity.

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verb (used with object)

escapes, present (3rd person singular) escaped, past participle, past escaping present participle

1. to slip away from or elude (pursuers, captors, etc.).

   He escaped the police.

   Synonyms:

   avoid, flee, dodge

2. to succeed in avoiding (any threatened or possible danger or evil).

   She escaped capture.

3. to elude (one's memory, notice, search, etc.).

4. to fail to be noticed or recollected by (a person).

   Her reply escapes me.

5. (of a sound or utterance) to slip from or be expressed by (a person, one's lips, etc.) inadvertently.

noun

escapes plural

1. an act or instance of escaping.

   Synonyms:

   flight

2. the fact of having escaped.

3. a means of escaping.

   We used the tunnel as an escape.

4. avoidance of reality.

   She reads mystery stories as an escape.

5. leakage, as of water or gas, from a pipe or storage container.

6. Botany. a plant that originated in cultivated stock and is now growing wild.

7. Physics, Rocketry. the act of achieving escape velocity.

8. (usually initial capital letter) Escape key.

adjective

1. for or providing an escape.

   an escape route.

escape British  

/ ɪˈskeɪp /

verb

1. to get away or break free from (confinements, captors, etc)

   the lion escaped from the zoo

2. to manage to avoid (imminent danger, punishment, evil, etc)

   to escape death

3. (of gases, liquids, etc) to issue gradually, as from a crack or fissure; seep; leak

   water was escaping from the dam

4. (tr) to elude; be forgotten by

   the actual figure escapes me

5. (tr) to be articulated inadvertently or involuntarily

   a roar escaped his lips

6. (intr) (of cultivated plants) to grow wild

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noun

1. the act of escaping or state of having escaped

2. avoidance of injury, harm, etc

   a narrow escape

3. 1. a means or way of escape

   2. ( as modifier )

      an escape route

4. a means of distraction or relief, esp from reality or boredom

   angling provides an escape for many city dwellers

5. a gradual outflow; leakage; seepage

6. Also called: escape valve.   escape cock.  a valve that releases air, steam, etc, above a certain pressure; relief valve or safety valve

7. a plant that was originally cultivated but is now growing wild

escape Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing escape

• narrow escape

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Synonym Usage

Escape, elude, evade mean to keep free of something. To escape is to succeed in keeping away from danger, pursuit, observation, etc.: to escape punishment. To elude implies baffling pursuers or slipping through an apparently tight net: The fox eluded the hounds. To evade is to turn aside from or go out of reach of a person or thing: to evade the police. See also avoid.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• escaper
  noun
• preescape
  noun
• self-escape
  noun
• escapable
  adjective
• escapeless
  adjective
• unescapable
  adjective
• unescaped
  adjective
• escapingly
  adverb
• unescapably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• escapes
  plural

Participles

• escaping
  present
• escaped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• escape
  simple
• escapes
  simple
• have escaped
  perfect
• has escaped
  perfect
• am escaping
  progressive
• are escaping
  progressive
• is escaping
  progressive
• have been escaping
  perfect progressive
• has been escaping
  perfect progressive

Past

• escaped
  simple
• had escaped
  perfect
• was escaping
  progressive
• were escaping
  progressive
• had been escaping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will escape
  simple
• will have escaped
  perfect
• will be escaping
  progressive
• will have been escaping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of escape

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English escapen, ascapen, from Old North French escaper, from French échapper or directly from unattested Vulgar Latin excappāre, verbal derivative (with ex- “out of, from”) of Late Latin cappa “hooded cloak”; see ex- ¹, cap ¹

Explanation

To escape is to break free, to get out of a situation you don’t want to be in. It’s also a noun, as in an escape from a dull party that might involve a ladder and an upstairs window. It’s hard to pin down the word escape. An escape can be the act of escaping, like an escape from prison, but an escape can also be a calming retreat, like a vacation that gets you away from the stress of everyday life. As a verb, escape also means, "to fail to experience or know.” If the humor escapes you, you don't find the joke funny.

Example Sentences

In an effort to escape the terminal, she pressed on a plateglass door, which shattered on the sidewalk.

From Slate • Jul. 7, 2026

The first earthquake would have weakened many structures, while the second shock likely caused additional collapses before occupants could escape.

From Barron's • Jul. 6, 2026

Some AI-safety campaigners—many of whom already worry that AI systems will escape human control and turn on their creators—argue that arming AI would only accelerate the danger.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026

Or maybe it never meant to escape at all.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2026

On early spring nights in rural Hydesville, New York, the chill dampness from Mud Creek seeped into a person’s bones should a foot, or a finger, escape thick layers of homemade quilts.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• avoid
• depart
• disappear
• dodge
• elude
• emerge
• evade
• flee
• fly
• leave
• run
• slip
• slip away
• vanish