getaway

American  

[get-uh-way] / ˈgɛt əˌweɪ /

noun

• getaways
  plural

1. a getting away or fleeing; an escape.

2. the start of a race.

   a fast getaway.

3. a place where one escapes for relaxation, vacation, etc., or a period of time for such recreation.

   a little seaside getaway; a two-week getaway in the Bahamas.

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adjective

1. used as a means of escape or fleeing.

   a stolen getaway car.

2. used for occasional relaxation, retreat, or reclusion.

   a weekend getaway house.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• getaways
  plural

Etymology

Origin of getaway

First recorded in 1850–55; noun use of verb phrase get away

Explanation

A getaway is a speedy escape, like the getaway bank robbers make when they flee the crime scene in a car. The word getaway is so often used for fleeing criminals that it's also a way to describe the vehicle they use: "Follow that getaway car!" A completely different type of getaway is a vacation, like your family's weekend getaway to the Catskills last summer. The "escape" meaning is older, and it originally referred to foxes that eluded hunters.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

getaway getaways

For your next shoulder-season getaway, head east past the usual beach clubs of St. Tropez and Positano and you’ll reach Bodrum, a peninsula on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast that has undergone a remarkable transformation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

A few days after the initial Amber Alert, Perez’s getaway vehicle was found in Monterey County, authorities said in a news release.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

Travis, the getaway driver, did, however; his eyewitness account was arguably the most damaging.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

About an hour from downtown Milwaukee, Lake Lawn Resort on Delavan Lake makes an easy all-season getaway.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

This was not the speedy getaway he needed to make.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

Expect Americans to take fewer vacations or opt for smaller getaways closer to home as a result, Gus Faucher, PNC chief economist, tells Barron’s.

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

The Baltic Sea offers beach getaways for those who would rather not swelter in Spain or inland.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

Instead, Grede compares time spent with her children to limited-edition fashion collabs, noting she likes to create “high-impact, core memories” through big moments like fishing trips or New York getaways.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

It’s also steps from Joshua Tree National Park, one of the nation’s most beloved desert getaways where about 3 million people visit annually.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026

There were sightseeing trips up the Swiss Alps designed as getaways for relaxation, but these excursions only taxed Ernest’s weakened constitution.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik