getaway

American  

[get-uh-wey] / ˈgɛt əˌweɪ /

noun

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.

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

You speak to dozens of people – one saw the getaway car, another noticed the robber’s jacket.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2026

But the decline in numbers predates the recent conflict, which begs the question: why are foreign visitors, who've patronised the relaxed budget getaway since the hippie heyday of the 1960s and 1970s, now turning away?

From BBC • May 16, 2026

Kafka and Jesenská did finally meet for a getaway in 1920, but being together in person seems to have ruined the magic.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Finally they’ll examine the utility of corporate merch, such as Palantir’s french chore coat, and company retreats, like the Plex’s disastrous Survivor-themed getaway.

From Slate • May 2, 2026

I pushed right past the getaway car parked in the driveway.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx