getaway
Americannoun
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getaways
plural
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a getting away or fleeing; an escape.
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the start of a race.
a fast getaway.
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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.
adjective
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used as a means of escape or fleeing.
a stolen getaway car.
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used for occasional relaxation, retreat, or reclusion.
a weekend getaway house.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
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:
Hart and his family used the Pinecrest home as a getaway during the NBA offseason.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
One MarketWatch reader planning an affordable Europe getaway wonders whether social-media recommendations are worth following.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Once members of the crowd realised they were being mocked, Baron Cohen was escorted into a getaway vehicle as an angry crowd "started pounding on the vehicle with their fists".
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
The two key suspects include a 29-year-old, who was charged after investigators recovered DNA from a bag left behind during the getaway.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
I couldn’t exactly relax, because I had to hold on for dear life, but it was all the rest I could get after my frantic getaway.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
The mother-of-two posted pictures of skiing trips, safaris and romantic European getaways on her Facebook page and boasted she was "living and loving life one adventure at a time".
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
They took down beachside residential towers where wealthier Venezuelans from the nearby capital, Caracas, escaped for weekend getaways, and cheaply constructed low-income high-rises where Styrofoam was used as filler between cement slabs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
There are dozens of accommodation options too, from hostels to brand new luxury getaways advertising the area as Morocco's hidden gem.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
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
After that, the big ones started to fall: large-scale resorts, fly-in luxury cottages, and wilderness getaways for stressed businessmen and their foreign investors.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
