flee
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to run away from (a place, danger, etc); fly
to flee the country
-
(intr) to run or move quickly; rush; speed
she fled to the door
verb
noun
Usage
What does flee mean? To flee is to run away or escape from a dangerous or otherwise negative situation. Much less commonly, flee can be used to mean to move at a fast pace. The past tense of flee is fled. Example: He was forced to flee his home as a result of the impending battle.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have fledperfect
-
has fledperfect 3rd person singular
-
have been fleeingperfect progressive
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am fleeingprogressive 1st person singular
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is fleeingprogressive 3rd person singular
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fleessingular 3rd person
-
has been fleeingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
are fleeingprogressive
-
fleeingparticiple
Past
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had fledperfect
-
were fleeingprogressive plural
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fledparticiple
-
fledsimple
-
was fleeingprogressive singular
-
had been fleeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of flee
First recorded before 900; Middle English fleen, Old English flēon; cognate with Old High German flichan ( German fliehen ), Gothic thliuhan; compare Old English fleogan “to fly”; see also fly 2
Explanation
If you bolt, scram, skedaddle, or get the heck of out Dodge, you flee. You run away fast. Don’t confuse flee with "flea." They sound alike, but the second kind is an insect whose bites make you itch. We get the word flee from Old English fleon. When you flee, you get away as quickly as you can. You might even take flight to escape — usually from a dangerous place or situation. In a moment of panic after stealing a cookie from the cookie jar, you might decide to flee the scene of the crime.
Vocabulary lists containing flee
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Passover Vocabulary
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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.
"He's in a different position than most people to flee and avoid detection by law enforcement," he said.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Fukushima city mayor Yuki Baba told reporters Thursday that evidence suggested the animal "unlocked the window on its own" to flee, adding that claw marks had been found near the exit.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
On the same day, authorities issued a new evacuation order, urging 50,000 people to flee the area.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
The Supreme Court has entered its final stretch of the term, with about two dozen opinions to hand down before the justices flee for their summer break at the end of June.
From Slate • Jun. 1, 2026
There was no evidence that any of them had made any attempt to flee the vessel.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
