escape
Americanverb (used without object)
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escapes,
present (3rd person singular)
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escaped,
past participle, past
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escaping
present participle
-
to slip or get away, as from confinement or restraint; gain or regain liberty.
to escape from jail.
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to slip away from pursuit or peril; avoid capture, punishment, or any threatened evil.
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to issue from a confining enclosure, as a fluid.
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to slip away; fade.
The words escaped from memory.
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Botany. (of an originally cultivated plant) to grow wild.
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(of a rocket, molecule, etc.) to achieve escape velocity.
verb (used with object)
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escapes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
escaped,
past participle, past
-
escaping
present participle
-
to slip away from or elude (pursuers, captors, etc.).
He escaped the police.
-
to succeed in avoiding (any threatened or possible danger or evil).
She escaped capture.
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to elude (one's memory, notice, search, etc.).
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to fail to be noticed or recollected by (a person).
Her reply escapes me.
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(of a sound or utterance) to slip from or be expressed by (a person, one's lips, etc.) inadvertently.
noun
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escapes
plural
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an act or instance of escaping.
- Synonyms:
- flight
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the fact of having escaped.
-
a means of escaping.
We used the tunnel as an escape.
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avoidance of reality.
She reads mystery stories as an escape.
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leakage, as of water or gas, from a pipe or storage container.
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Botany. a plant that originated in cultivated stock and is now growing wild.
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Physics, Rocketry. the act of achieving escape velocity.
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(usually initial capital letter) Escape key.
adjective
verb
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to get away or break free from (confinements, captors, etc)
the lion escaped from the zoo
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to manage to avoid (imminent danger, punishment, evil, etc)
to escape death
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(of gases, liquids, etc) to issue gradually, as from a crack or fissure; seep; leak
water was escaping from the dam
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(tr) to elude; be forgotten by
the actual figure escapes me
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(tr) to be articulated inadvertently or involuntarily
a roar escaped his lips
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(intr) (of cultivated plants) to grow wild
noun
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the act of escaping or state of having escaped
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avoidance of injury, harm, etc
a narrow escape
-
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a means or way of escape
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( as modifier )
an escape route
-
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a means of distraction or relief, esp from reality or boredom
angling provides an escape for many city dwellers
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a gradual outflow; leakage; seepage
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Also called: escape valve, escape cock. a valve that releases air, steam, etc, above a certain pressure; relief valve or safety valve
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a plant that was originally cultivated but is now growing wild
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
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escapernoun
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preescapenoun
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self-escapenoun
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escapableadjective
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escapelessadjective
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unescapableadjective
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unescapedadjective
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escapinglyadverb
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unescapablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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escapesimple
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escapessimple
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have escapedperfect
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has escapedperfect
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am escapingprogressive
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are escapingprogressive
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is escapingprogressive
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have been escapingperfect progressive
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has been escapingperfect progressive
Past
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escapedsimple
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had escapedperfect
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was escapingprogressive
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were escapingprogressive
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had been escapingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing escape
Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Experiment" and "Superstition"
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Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 2
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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.
See Examples For:
They left their phones and passports behind and tried to escape by car, but the road was blocked.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
It feels like a little escape in the middle of the medina, and the smell of fresh coffee and Moroccan pastries is impossible to resist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Do you see your shows as an escape?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
But Erika is realizing that “island life” isn’t the dream Caribbean escape you might think.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
I used the rest of the morning to draw a map of the playground and plan multiple escape routes.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
The symbolism of that globe and what it meant completely escapes them, just as Eisenhower’s legacy has been dismissed by them wholesale.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026
Critics say the animals suffer, pointing to deadly collapses and dangerous escapes, while advocates point to the jobs they create and the heritage they uphold.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
As a result, calcium escapes continuously into areas where it should be carefully regulated, creating conditions that can injure muscle tissue.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
Nothing escapes Maupassant’s attention: the attitudes intended to shield weak character that expose it instead; the vanity that fools no one; the morality unwittingly displayed by styles of dress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Along a three-and-a-half-mile stretch of Fifth Avenue, the flag-bedecked buildings with flat roofs, balconies, and fire escapes were stuffed with sweating spectators.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Bennett was said to have escaped without injuries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
The Chicks had escaped that designation a few decades ago by the time they were doing this show.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026
That decision helped them identify a long-mysterious enzyme and uncover a protective mechanism that had previously escaped scientists.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
Decentralized platforms like Aave eventually shut down loans to those suspicious accounts, but the hackers ultimately escaped with some $2.4 billion in un-freezable crypto assets, according to TRM.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
“My officers sent word that he escaped the city. We think he took an invisibility tonic.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Epic Love Photography founder Rob Dight, who has spent more than a decade photographing couples escaping the pressures of traditional weddings, said the day was unlike anything he had encountered before.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Although large galactic winds appear to suppress escaping radiation, smaller winds and other activity around young stars could still help create openings in the surrounding gas.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
Sharon - aka Poundland Poirot - failed to appear in the dining room, having been chosen for the chopping block so soon after escaping banishment, throwing all the faithfuls into more confusion.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
It’s a place most dream of escaping; instead L.A.-born novelist Alexander Maksik takes readers inside the airport to witness both the unease and shared humanity of people passing through.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Thinking only of escaping with her life, she spun round and ran.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
