definitions

flee

[ flee ]
/ fli /
||

verb (used without object), fled, flee·ing.

to run away, as from danger or pursuers; take flight.
to move swiftly; fly; speed.

verb (used with object), fled, flee·ing.

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

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RELATED WORDS

fly, jump, depart, get, leave, vanish, desert, retreat, blow, elude, skedaddle, abscond, skip, avoid, scoot, evade, break, scamper, hotfoot, decamp

Nearby words

fledermaus, die, fledge, fledged, fledgling, fledgy, flee, fleece, fleece-vine, fleeced, fleecie, fleecy

Origin of flee

before 900; Middle English fleen, Old English flēon; cognate with Old High German flichan (German fliehen), Gothic thliuhan; compare Old English fleogan to fly1

SYNONYMS FOR flee

3 evade, escape, avoid, shun, elude.

Related forms

out·flee, verb (used with object), out·fled, out·flee·ing.un·flee·ing, adjective

Can be confused

flea flee
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flees

British Dictionary definitions for flees (1 of 2)

flee

1
/ (fliː) /

verb flees, fleeing or fled

to run away from (a place, danger, etc); flyto flee the country
(intr) to run or move quickly; rush; speedshe fled to the door

Derived Forms

fleer, noun

Word Origin for flee

Old English flēon; related to Old Frisian fliā, Old High German fliohan, Gothic thliuhan

British Dictionary definitions for flees (2 of 2)

flee

2
/ (fliː) /

verb

a Scot word for fly 1

noun

a Scot word for fly 2
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