escape
verb (used without object)
to slip or get away, as from confinement or restraint; gain or regain liberty.
were escaping
-
past progressiveof escape.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Thousands of people, many of them elderly, were escaping the heat in evacuation shelters.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Many were escaping difficult lives at home, she says.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
And at a subsequent screening he met several audience members who said they were from Mariupol and that their relatives were escaping the sieged city at the same time he was.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 12, 2023
He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the train’s rear cars as he arrived.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 1, 2023
See, in the heat of the moment, when people were escaping these freeways—something truly interesting happened.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
