escape mechanism

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noun Psychology.

a means of avoiding an unpleasant life situation, as daydreaming.

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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

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Origin of escape mechanism

First recorded in 1930–35

Words nearby escape mechanism

escape clause, escaped ventricular contraction, escapee, escape hatch, Escape key, escape mechanism, escapement, escapement error, escape notice, escape pipe, escape rhythm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use escape mechanism in a sentence

Farrell issued a ticket to an 18-year-old shipyard worker for speeding and an improper exhaust mechanism, according to the TP.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
After the captain made the call to abandon ship, 150 people were able to escape on lifeboats lowered by electronic arms.
‘We’re Going to Die’: Survivors Recount Greek Ferry Fire Horror|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The irony did not escape one local, Laith Hathim, as he stood and watched the newly minted refugees make their way into Mosul.
Has the Kurdish Victory at Sinjar Turned the Tide of ISIS War?|Niqash|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His harrowing escape from Vienna when Hitler took Austria in March 1938 is dramatically chronicled in his memoirs.
The Catholic Philosopher Who Took on Hitler|John Henry Crosby|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This final episode of Extras is the perfect Christmastime escape for those who prefer the bittersweet to the saccharine.
The Top 10 Nontraditional Christmas TV Episodes|Jace Lacob|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Capital, capital," his lordship would remark with great alacrity, when there was no other way of escape.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The wheezy, crazy mechanism of the car went to bits in unexpected places.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Thinking to escape and summon assistance from the cantonment, Douglas mounted the wall and leaped into the moat.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
After the wretch had stabbed her in three places, he went to make his escape out at a window; but she cried out, My dear!
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
In the same way the technical form and mechanism of production were presumed to respond to an automatic stimulus.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock

British Dictionary definitions for escape mechanism

escape mechanism

noun

psychol any emotional or mental mechanism that enables a person to avoid acknowledging unpleasant or threatening realitiesSee also escapism

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

escape mechanism

Origin of escape mechanism

Words nearby escape mechanism

Words related to escape mechanism

How to use escape mechanism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for escape mechanism