flee
verb (used without object)
to run away, as from danger or pursuers; take flight.
were fleeing
-
past progressiveof flee.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.
It added that 1,000 to 2,000 vehicles were fleeing the city each day, mostly heading to the north of the country.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
Civilians were fleeing Kurdish neighbourhoods of Aleppo on Wednesday after the Syrian army declared them "closed military zones", amid ongoing fighting with Kurdish-led forces in the northern city.
From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026
Residents and military sources said soldiers were fleeing the assault on Uvira, the last government-held city in the mineral-rich region.
From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2025
“He and his family were fleeing the Nazis while remaining reliant on them, something that would only become more problematic in the years to come,” Dunthorne writes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2025
By that time German officers and soldiers were fleeing, doing their utmost to avoid capture by the rapidly approaching Soviet army.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
