refuge
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
shelter or protection, as from the weather or danger
-
any place, person, action, or thing that offers or appears to offer protection, help, or relief
accused of incompetence, he took refuge in lying
-
another name for traffic island
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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”; see 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.
Vocabulary lists containing refuge
The Star-Spangled Banner
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Persepolis
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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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:
He’s 85 now, but until he was 54, Torre didn’t reveal that baseball had been his refuge when he was growing up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
This comes as conservationists at the estate introduced new freshwater habitats, providing a refuge for the heron, but also water voles, otters, pine martens, and even white-tailed eagles.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Investors are finding refuge in dowdier sectors such as consumer staples.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
On days when a big attack is expected, some residents now head straight to metro stations -- the typical underground overnight refuge -- when they finish work, not waiting for the air alert.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Still, if nothing else, it offered at least a sense of refuge.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
"In the surrounding chalk grassland, they can discover how plants and insects cope with extreme heat, and why shade, varied vegetation and connected habitats can provide vital refuges for wildlife."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Mobile home parks in Carson are among the last refuges of affordable housing for many residents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The study, funded by the Morris Animal Foundation, involved sampling more than 500 snakes from two wildlife refuges in South Carolina and Florida, covering 29 species.
From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026
His work has led directly to the establishment of national parks and refuges in many lands, including Afghanistan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
A disturbing example of the latter seems to be building up on the national wildlife refuges at Tule Lake and Lower Klamath, both in California.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
“People are homeless, they have been refuged to the mountains.”
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 21, 2022
Himself I refuged and his train relieved, 'Tis true, but am I sure to be received?
From Heathen Mythology by Various
A hungry wolf had thinned the fold, Safely he refuged on the wold; And, as in den secure he lay, The thefts of night regaled his day.
From Fables of John Gay (Somewhat Altered) by Gay, John
The light of that furnace shone through the lattice stonework of the tomb, and in its lurid and ominous glare Adrian beheld the faces of those who refuged with him.
From Lysbeth, a Tale of the Dutch by Haggard, Henry Rider
The Serb students refuged in London had post cards printed of the murderer Princip, on which he was described as a national hero!
From Twenty Years Of Balkan Tangle by Durham, M. E. (Mary Edith)
The long snug harbour of Mahon, which was in the days of canvas wings almost always filled with craft refuging, is now in this era of steam usually tenantless.
From The Recipe for Diamonds by Hyne, Charles John Cutcliffe Wright
Debarred the healthier paths of life, man rushes for employment to the refuging muse; and rightly so, for he finds an employment ornamental and useful still.
From Fables of John Gay (Somewhat Altered) by Gay, John
Definitions 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.
