escape

1 of 3

verb

es·​cape i-ˈskāp How to pronounce escape (audio)
e-,
 dialectal  ik-ˈskāp
escaped; escaping

intransitive verb

1
a
: to get away (as by flight)
escaped from prison
b
: to issue from confinement
gas is escaping
c
of a plant : to run wild from cultivation
2
: to avoid a threatening evil
the boat sank but the crew escaped

transitive verb

1
: to get free of : break away from
escape the jungle
escape the solar system
2
: to get or stay out of the way of : avoid
efforts to escape poverty
3
: to fail to be noticed or recallable by
his name escapes me
4
a
: to issue from
a smile escaped me
b
: to be uttered involuntarily by
a sigh of relief escaped her
escaper noun

escape

2 of 3

noun

1
: an act or instance of escaping: such as
a
: flight from confinement
b
: evasion of something undesirable
c
: leakage or outflow especially of a fluid
d
: distraction or relief from routine or reality
2
: a means of escape
3
: a cultivated plant run wild
4
or less commonly Escape : escape key

escape

3 of 3

adjective

1
: providing a means of escape
escape literature
2
: providing a means of evading a regulation, claim, or commitment
an escape clause in a contract

Did you know?

If you were being held captive by someone gripping the coat or cloak you were wearing, you might be able to get away by slipping out of it. This is the idea on which the word escape is based. Escape is made up of the Latin prefix ex-, which means “out of,” and the Latin word cappa, which means “head covering” or “cloak.”

Choose the Right Synonym for escape

escape, avoid, evade, elude, shun, eschew mean to get away or keep away from something.

escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

Examples of escape in a Sentence

Verb They managed to escape from the burning building. He needed a vacation to escape the routine of daily life. She moved to the city to escape the memory of her mother's death. trying to help people to escape poverty trying to help people to escape from poverty He succeeded in escaping punishment for many years. A few passengers somehow escaped injury. She barely escaped death when her car slid off the road. Several passengers escaped without injury. Noun The prisoners attempted a daring escape. He celebrated his escape from his boring job with a long vacation. She had a lucky escape when she wasn't injured in the accident. She managed to avoid serious injury, but it was a narrow escape. The door was locked; there was no escape. Gardening offered an escape from her busy life. an accidental escape of poisonous gases trying to prevent further escape of liquid
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Desperate to escape, Lilly paid what amounted to a Nazi ransom. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Everyone inside was able to escape without injuries. Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 On Sunday, Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency after thousands of inmates apparently escaped from its largest prison. Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Visitors hoping to escape the snow can stop by the Casino de Mont-Tremblant, reachable via a complimentary shuttle with several pick-up points around the mountain. Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 4 Mar. 2024 If you are being attacked or threatened by someone and need to escape or defend yourself. Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2024 Frank Herbert's classic 1965 novel lets readers in on the secret of Jessica's parentage a little earlier in the story, shortly after Paul and Jessica have escaped into the Arrakis desert in the wake of the Harkonnen and Sardaukar assault on House Atreides. TIME, 1 Mar. 2024 Ahmad Yar first moved to Philadelphia but left for the D.C. area to escape a dangerous neighborhood, Butler and his cousin said. Emily Davies, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 The Costa family decided to put down the puppies from Bobi’s litter by burying them in a hole, though Bobi escaped and was later found by the family’s two sons. Ty Roush, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
The escape also swells the emotion in his climactic showdown with Volumnia, who pleads for Rome’s safety. Celia Wren, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 From Alabama’s favorite beach town to Kentucky’s bourbon capital, Maryland's Eastern Shore hideaway to North Carolina’s mountain escape, there’s a town here for every personality. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 Nothing Nothing launches latest smartphone The first Nothing Phone (1) was released in 2022 to great fanfare as its makers made the unusual promise of creating a phone that would offer customers an escape from the growing specter of screen time that increasingly captures users. Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 5 Mar. 2024 Traveling with friends or going it alone, there’s certainly plenty of romantic heartbreak around to inspire an escape. Jessica Burrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024 Consider doing weekday getaways instead of a weekend escape or going during the shoulder seasons of spring and fall versus busier times like summer and winter. Kaeli Conforti, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 While details on the incident remain unclear, police said preliminary information indicates that the case is likely tied to the escape of the three prisoners. Colleen Wixon, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2024 In May 1862, Smalls planned his daring escape from slavery. Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Feb. 2024 For some, deliverance will come with escape, and promotion. Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024
Adjective
One more benefit of recounting and recording your dreams is simply escape. David G. Allan, CNN, 4 Aug. 2022 Both works draw a line between the anti-escape devices used to control the enslaved and the subtler constraints on contemporary Black dissent. Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 4 May 2022 If possible, collect the bat in an escape-proof container with air holes and take to a local veterinarian for euthanasia. Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 8 Mar. 2022 On Wednesday, the 40-year-old stunt performer shared an update on his health after he was hospitalized last week following an escape act gone wrong at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, where the show is being filmed. Karen Mizoguchi, PEOPLE.com, 20 Oct. 2021 Authorities searched around Stevenson Park but could not locate Tidwell, who will face additional escape charges, the sheriff’s office said. Howard Koplowitz | Hkoplowitz@al.com, al, 4 Dec. 2019 Another epic escape act seems improbable, but can't be ruled out if Di Francesco gets his tactics right in Rome. Stevens Griffiths, chicagotribune.com, 24 Apr. 2018 During his final three matches at the sectional, Skokna consistently employed a strategy of letting his opponent get escape points without trying to keep him down. Patrick Kelly, chicagotribune.com, 16 Feb. 2018 The Saturn 5, which flew 13 times, had an Earth-escape payload capacity of more than 100,000 pounds, about three times the capability of the Falcon Heavy. William Harwood, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'escape.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French escaper, eschaper, from Vulgar Latin *excappare, from Latin ex- + Late Latin cappa head covering, cloak

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of escape was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near escape

Cite this Entry

“Escape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escape. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

escape

1 of 2 verb
es·​cape is-ˈkāp How to pronounce escape (audio)
escaped; escaping
1
a
: to get away
escape from the daily routine
escape from a burning building
b
: to leak out from some enclosed place
gas is escaping
c
: to grow in the wild after being in cultivation
2
: to get out of the way of : avoid
escape punishment
3
: to fail to be noticed or recalled by
the name escapes me
4
: to come out from or be uttered by unexpectedly or almost uncontrollably
a sigh of relief escaped us
escaper noun

escape

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act or instance of escaping
2
: a means of escaping
3
: a cultivated plant growing wild
Etymology

Verb

early French escaper "to escape," from assumed Latin excappare (same meaning), from Latin ex- "out, out of" and cappa "head covering, cloak" — related to cape entry 2

Word Origin
If you were being held captive by someone gripping your coat or cloak, you might be able to get away by slipping out of it. The word escape is based on that idea. Escape comes from the Latin prefix ex-, which means "out of," and the Latin word cappa, which means "head covering" or "cloak."

Medical Definition

escape

1 of 3 verb
es·​cape is-ˈkāp How to pronounce escape (audio)
escaped; escaping

intransitive verb

: to avoid or find relief from something by means of an escape

transitive verb

: to avoid or find relief from (something) by means of an escape
he was unable to escape reality

escape

2 of 3 noun
: an act or instance of escaping: as
a
: evasion of something undesirable
find no method of escape from pain and suffering
b
: distraction or relief from routine or reality
especially : mental distraction or relief by flight into idealizing fantasy or fiction that serves to glorify the self

escape

3 of 3 adjective
: providing a means of escape
escape literature

Legal Definition

escape

1 of 2 intransitive verb
es·​cape
escaped; escaping
: to depart from lawful custody with the intent of avoiding confinement or the administration of justice

escape

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act or instance of escaping
2
: the criminal offense of escaping

More from Merriam-Webster on escape

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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