flee

American  

[flee] / fli /

verb (used without object)

fled, fleeing

1. to run away, as from danger or pursuers; take flight.

2. to move swiftly; fly; speed.

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verb (used with object)

fled, fleeing

1. to run away from (a place, person, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   elude, shun, avoid, escape, evade

flee ¹ British  

/ fliː /

verb

1. to run away from (a place, danger, etc); fly

   to flee the country

2. (intr) to run or move quickly; rush; speed

   she fled to the door

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flee ² British  

/ fliː /

verb

1. a Scot word for fly 1

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noun

1. a Scot word for fly 2

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

• fleer noun
• outflee verb (used with object)
• unfleeing adjective

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”; fly ²

Example Sentences

Investors have been fleeing the AI trade—not withstanding a dramatic upsurge today—with one exception: data center real estate investment trusts.

From Barron's

More than one million people—roughly a 10th of the population—have fled Cuba since 2020, most of them to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

As loyalists flame out, career lawyers are fleeing.

From Salon

It said the suspect fled the scene and the general was admitted to hospital.

From Barron's

The group fled and found a taxi to take them to one of their homes together.

From BBC

Related Words

• depart
• desert
• fly
• get
• jump
• leave
• retreat
• take off
• vanish