escape artist

American  

noun

1. an entertainer expert in getting out of handcuffs, ropes, chains, trunks, or other confining devices.

2. an inmate of a prison who has a reputation for being able to escape confinement.

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Etymology

Origin of escape artist

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Horst recognized the famous cyclist—and escape artist.

From Literature

He was a runner and escape artist.

From Los Angeles Times

The escape room industry has exploded over the last decade, with an estimated 2,000 facilities in the U.S., according to a 2023 industry report from Room Escape Artist, an enthusiast site that maintains a running database of every known room in the country.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s so much potential in the 35-acre expanse that dates to the 1880s and was once a symbol of municipal pride, as well as a setting for Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton movies and for a stunt in which escape artist Harry Houdini jumped into the lake in chains.

From Los Angeles Times

You want to solve them not for the sake of the puzzles themselves but for the sake of the character and the story,” says Lisa Spira, co-founder of Room Escape Artist, a site dedicated to the escape room sector.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• Houdini
• escapologist