escort
Americannoun
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escorts
plural
-
a group of persons, or a single person, accompanying another or others for protection, guidance, or courtesy.
An escort of sailors accompanied the queen.
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an armed guard, as a body of soldiers or ships.
The president traveled with a large escort of motorcycle police.
-
a man or boy who accompanies a woman or girl in public, as to a social event.
-
a person, especially a woman female escort, but sometimes a man male escort, who is paid to go on a date with a client, and usually to engage in sex acts for money.
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protection, safeguard, or guidance on a journey.
to travel without escort.
- Synonyms:
- convoy
verb (used with object)
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escorts,
present (3rd person singular)
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escorted,
past participle, past
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escorting
present participle
noun
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one or more persons, soldiers, vehicles, etc, accompanying another or others for protection, guidance, restraint, or as a mark of honour
-
a man or youth who accompanies a woman or girl
he was her escort for the evening
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-
a person, esp a young woman, who may be hired to accompany another for entertainment, etc
-
( as modifier )
an escort agency
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verb
Synonym Usage
See accompany.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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escortsimple
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escortssimple
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have escortedperfect
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has escortedperfect
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am escortingprogressive
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are escortingprogressive
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is escortingprogressive
-
have been escortingperfect progressive
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has been escortingperfect progressive
Past
-
escortedsimple
-
had escortedperfect
-
was escortingprogressive
-
were escortingprogressive
-
had been escortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of escort
First recorded in 1570–80; from French, from Italian scorta, derivative of scorgere “to conduct, guide,” from Vulgar Latin excorrigere (unrecorded); see ex- 1, correct
Explanation
When you go somewhere, whether it's for fun or business, it's always nice to have an escort — someone to go along with you. Some escorts are there to protect you, some just to share a good time. The word escort can be a noun or a verb — "your escort escorts you." This word is derived from the Latin excorrigere, "to set out," and moved through the Italian scorgere, meaning "to guide." In the 1570s it took on a military tone as escorte, used to describe armed protectors for travelers. In the 19th century it came to mean "accompanying a person on social occasions," although we still refer to military escorts today.
Vocabulary lists containing escort
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 26–31
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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Tears of a Tiger
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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:
If all of this sounds like too much to handle, there are services that will escort you through the process at some airports for a fee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
But she says there are common requirements to hosting a Play Street, including an official “road closed” sign, physical barriers at each end, and volunteers who can escort residents in and out.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Civil Guard were also taking migrants off a bus to escort them back to the border post to return to Morocco.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
At the hospital, Jack learns that the man behind the wheel was Governor George McRyan, a presidential hopeful polling extremely well in the primaries, who left a campaign event with Sally as his escort.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
She waited, as if she expected one of us to escort her to the door.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
When she’s youthful, Sophie catches the eye of a handsome, richly dressed stranger who gallantly escorts her away from two men harassing her on the street.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
And then “San Marcos el Fin” gently escorts the listener out of this particular room.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
That refers to a “first group” of tankers or ship operators willing to cross the strait, likely with naval coordination and escorts.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
Drivers are refusing to travel between the western Kayes region near Senegal and Bamako without security escorts, with passengers and goods stuck at the border, officials and passengers told AFP on Wednesday.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
Mrs. Ruiz calls out to the contestants, who are now lining up with their escorts.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
Others were rounded up by Spanish forces and escorted to the border.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
It mattered little that, by then, most of the migrants who reached Ceuta had returned to Morocco, escorted to the border by Spanish troops.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
On Wednesday night, Lai was put through his paces when he was escorted in an armoured vehicle convoy from the Presidential Office to a secure command centre in a simulated evacuation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
The truck was then escorted to a special site where the search began to find the "small piece of paper hidden in a mountain of waste".
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Pa and Uncle Darnell insisted on standing on both sides of Big Ma to walk her up to Mr. Lucas and the pastor while she fussed about being escorted like a common criminal.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Police began escorting residents and campers back to properties and campsites to collect personal belongings on Sunday.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
But Iran also wants to make clear that it is in charge, and opposes the United States unilaterally escorting ships, said Negar Mortazavi, a senior fellow at the left-leaning Center for International Policy.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Nagraj, 46, managed the paid caregivers working at his in-laws’ house while coordinating doctors’ appointments for his father-in-law, and escorting him to them.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
Local villagers whom he regularly employs to assist him in escorting groups up Dukono also did not tell him anything about the prohibition, he added.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
The police cars escorting the two game pieces on wheels had flapping Library Olympics flags attached to their bumpers.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
