refuge

American  

[ref-yooj] / ˈrɛf yudʒ /

noun

1. shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc..

   to take refuge from a storm.

   Synonyms:

   safety, security

2. a place of shelter, protection, or safety.

   Synonyms:

   stronghold, haven, sanctuary, retreat, asylum

3. anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape.

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verb (used with object)

refuged, refuging

1. Archaic. to afford refuge to.

verb (used without object)

refuged, refuging

1. Archaic. to take refuge.

refuge British  

/ ˈrɛfjuːdʒ /

noun

1. shelter or protection, as from the weather or danger

2. any place, person, action, or thing that offers or appears to offer protection, help, or relief

   accused of incompetence, he took refuge in lying

3. another name for traffic island

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verb

1. archaic to take refuge or give refuge to

Etymology

Origin of refuge

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin refugium, from refug(ere) “to turn and flee, run away” ( re- re- + fugere “to flee”; fugitive ) + -ium -ium

Explanation

To take refuge is to find a safe place. You might take refuge under a bridge in a hail storm, or in a basement during a tornado. Refuge comes from a French word meaning "to flee," and, in most cases, a refuge is a place to flee to in order to get away from people or places that are unsafe. A refuge is a safe place, such as a building or even another country, as in "they sought refuge from the war by leaving their homeland," or it is a simple, personal place of comfort — like a friend's couch.

Example Sentences

Maybe his family table became your refuge in the year after your wife left you, and no amount of money could ever repay him.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Both locations served as a particular kind of refuge, places where I came to new understandings and occasional epiphanies.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

That same evening, panicked residents of Tehran tried to flee north to the shores of the Caspian Sea, where many had sought refuge during the very first days of the war.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Scientists believe these early cephalopods found refuge in small, oxygen-rich pockets of the deep ocean.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

There was even a former Conservative functionary who had taken refuge in the revolt to escape a judgment for misappropriation of funds.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• asylum
• fortress
• haven
• hideaway
• hideout
• hiding place
• protection
• resort
• retreat
• sanctuary
• security
• shelter
• stronghold