flee

verb

ˈflē 

fled ˈfled  ; fleeing

intransitive verb

1

a

: to run away often from danger or evil : fly

The family fled from the war-torn zone.

b

: to hurry toward a place of security

Refugees fled to a neighboring country.

2

: to pass away swiftly : vanish

mists fleeing before the rising sun

transitive verb

: to run away from : shun

Many people fled the city to escape the fighting.

Synonyms

• disappear
• vanish
• fade
• fly

Examples of flee in a Sentence

The family fled from Nazi Germany to Britain in 1936.

He was accused of trying to flee the scene of the accident.

Many people fled the city to escape the fighting.

He was forced to flee the country.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrests on Sunday morning, adding that one of the suspects had been preparing to flee France from Roissy airport. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025

The crew of thieves used a basket lift to scale the Louvre’s façade, forced open a window, smashed display cases and fled, according to French officials. —Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the suspects were arrested on Saturday evening, and that one of them was detained while attempting to flee the country from Charles de Gaulle Airport. —Rebecca Schneid, Time, 26 Oct. 2025

After her son’s confession, Sigg fled her Westminster home. —Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English flen, from Old English flēon; akin to Old High German fliohan to flee

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing flee

• leave/flee the nest

Rhymes for flee

• be
• bee
• bree
• cree
• fee
• flea
• free
• gee
• ghee
• glee
• he
• ki

Kids Definition

flee

verb

ˈflē 

fled ˈfled  ; fleeing

1

a

: to run away often from danger or evil : fly

b

: to run away from : shun

2

: to pass away swiftly : vanish

the mist fled before the rising sun