escapade

noun

es·​ca·​pade ˈe-skə-ˌpād How to pronounce escapade (audio)
: 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.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
One little girl who’d been watching the escapades online came in and asked to see her bear. Courtenay Rudzinski, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2024 Eleven audience members walked out of the theater, nine during the opening scene, and one on-looker lost their lunch watching the latest escapades of series mascot Art the Clown, played by David Howard Thornton. Jack Dunn, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024 The film, set in 2008, captures Chris’ adolescent escapades — the fumbles, first kisses (one of the film’s most priceless sequences), a first toke of pot and his many squabbles with his mom (Joan Chen) and older sis (Shirley Chen). Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2024 After the incident, Tangie said that she's applied Zoe's Target escapade to encourage her daughter to figure out her schoolwork. Marina Watts, People.com, 6 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for escapade 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of escapade was in 1667

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Dictionary Entries Near escapade

Cite this Entry

“Escapade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escapade. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

escapade

noun
es·​ca·​pade ˈes-kə-ˌpād How to pronounce escapade (audio)
: a mischievous adventure

More from Merriam-Webster on escapade

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