on the lam

Idioms  

1. Running away, especially from the police, as in He's always in some kind of trouble and perpetually on the lam. The origin of this slangy term of the 1800s is not known.

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Example Sentences

Monkeys on the lam in St. Louis and AI isn’t helping.

From MarketWatch

As a child, Caleb resisted being taken into Federation custody, instead going on the lam.

From Los Angeles Times

The suspected leaker is believed to be a Chinese national who has moved back to China and is now on the lam, South Korean officials say.

From The Wall Street Journal

Julanne Chidi Hill, who played the lusty widow hotel proprietor, Maxine, and Riley Shanahan, who played Lawrence Shannon, the disgraced reverend on the lam from his misdeeds, helped bring the play’s lonely battle for redemption to blistering life.

From Los Angeles Times

Or, in this case, that Manchester — on the lam after escaping prison — ends up falling in love with Leigh and being embraced by her family and community.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• elusive