escapade

noun

es·​ca·​pade ˈe-skə-ˌpād 

: a usually adventurous action that runs counter to approved or conventional conduct

Did you know?

When it was first used in English, escapade referred to an act of escaping or fleeing from confinement or restraint. The relationship between escape and escapade does not end there. Both words derive from the Vulgar Latin verb excappare, meaning "to escape," a product of the Latin prefix ex- and the Late Latin noun cappa, meaning "head covering or cloak." While escape took its route through Anglo-French and Middle English, however, escapade made its way into English by way of the Spanish escapar ("to escape") and the French escapade.

Synonyms of escapade

• prank
• adventure
• trick
• experience

Examples of escapade in a Sentence

As a teenager he embarked on a series of ill-advised escapades.

their escapades at the prep school became the stuff of boarding-school legend

Recent Examples on the Web

During her escapades, Minerva also managed to find a rogue sock on the floor and didn’t hesitate to collect it. —Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025

No stranger to action, Verhoeven brought to life the book of the same name with a barrage of bug-blasting escapades in the 23rd century. —Ian Stokes, Space.com, 26 Nov. 2025

So many Democrats, so many depraved escapades. —Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 22 Nov. 2025

Marlowe’s life story is also filled with near escapes, nefarious friends, bizarre escapades. —Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, action of escaping, from Spanish escapada, from escapar to escape, from Vulgar Latin *excappare

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for escapade

• accolade
• ambuscade
• antegrade
• balustrade
• barricade
• cannonade
• cavalcade
• centigrade
• chambermaid
• colonnade
• countertrade
• disobeyed

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

escapade

noun

es·​ca·​pade ˈes-kə-ˌpād 

: a mischievous adventure