escort

play

noun es·cort \ˈe-ˌskȯrt\

Definition of escort

1a (1) : a person or group of persons accompanying another to give protection or as a courtesy (2) : a man who goes with a woman to a social event (3) : a woman or a man who is hired to go with someone to a social event —often used before another noun an escort service/agencyb : a protective screen of warships or fighter planes or a single ship or plane used to fend off enemy attack from one or more vulnerable craft
2 : accompaniment by a person or an armed protector (such as a ship)

See escort defined for English-language learners

See escort defined for kids

Examples of escort in a Sentence

Visitors are not allowed to enter the building without an escort.
The bombers were protected by a fighter escort.
Everyone was surprised when she arrived at the party without an escort.

Recent Examples of escort from the Web

Porter EMS transported Davion to Porter Regional Hospital with a police escort; he was pronounced dead at the hospital at 5:26 p.m., Harris has said.

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "No lifeguards on duty when boy drowned in Chesterton church pool," 6 July 2017
Before dogs can make the 15-hour plane journey, Fernandez said, a flight buddy or escort who is already traveling to the United States must agree to accept them as excess baggage, which reduces the flight costs.

— donna vickroy, Daily Southtown, "Oli's journey: From Qatar to Tinley Park in search of a forever home," 6 July 2017
Direct support, like volunteering as a clinic escort or defender, or organizing with the clinic to develop an abortion doula service are two possibilities.

— cindy crabb, Teen Vogue, "How Jane Helped 11,000 Women Get Abortions When The Procedure Was Outlawed," 1 July 2017
Federal prosecutors say four more defendants have been charged with conspiring to rob people who responded to online ads for escort services.

— tony rizzo, kansascity.com, "More people charged with luring armed robbery victims through online sex ads," 29 June 2017
About 175 people have been briefly allowed back to their homes near Panguitch Lake since Sunday under escort, said Denise Dastrup with the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office.

— Washington Post, "Utah wildfire grows as 2 powerful California blazes spread," 27 June 2017
Some residents are being allowed to return to their homes with escorts.

— sopan deb, New York Times, "Firefighters Battle Blazes in California and Utah," 26 June 2017
The number of people volunteering as clinic escorts and defenders has surged since November, providing a critical support system that helps patients get into the clinic safely.

— rebecca grant, Cosmopolitan, "She Told a Guy She Worked at an Abortion Clinic. On Their Next Date, He Raped Her.," 26 June 2017
The number of people volunteering as clinic escorts and defenders has surged since November, providing a critical support system that helps patients get into the clinic safely.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "Man raped date after she said she worked at an abortion clinic," 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'escort.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of escort

Middle French escorte, from Italian scorta, from scorgere to guide, from Vulgar Latin *excorrigere, from Latin ex- + corrigere to make straight, correct — more at correct

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1579

See Words from the same year

escort

play

verb es·cort \i-ˈskȯrt, e-, ˈe-ˌskȯrt\

Definition of escort

transitive verb
: to accompany as an escort

See escort defined for English-language learners

Examples of escort in a Sentence

Several fighters escorted the bombers back to base.
a student from the college escorted my parents and me on our tour of the campus

Recent Examples of escort from the Web

The base will mostly be a logistics hub for a naval squadron China has long sailed in these waters, escorting commercial vessels.

— The Economist, "China goes to Africa," 20 July 2017
An hour later a convoy escorted us to the frontline in the Old City.

— andrew katz, TIME.com, "‘My mind will stay there forever’," 17 July 2017
Photos and videos taken from Zakynthos show some of the suspects covering their faces as they were being escorted by police.

— kristine phillips, Alaska Dispatch News, "American tourist killed in Greece was fatally beaten over a selfie, police say," 12 July 2017
The grooms walked down the aisle escorted by both sets of parents, who then stood beside them with their best men during the ceremony.

— alexandra macon, Vogue, "A Sophisticated Wedding Celebration at the High Line Hotel in New York City," 3 July 2017
Fortunately, the spoon allowed me to scrape up every last drop without getting escorted to the door.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Where to eat, drink in Chicago," 30 June 2017
When my slot arrived, I was escorted into the space and given a final rundown of how things worked.

— david denicolo, Allure, "What the Emirates First Class Shower Suite Is Really Like," 27 June 2017
A Coast Guard cutter escorted the vessel to Freeport, Texas.

— kevin mcgill, The Seattle Times, "Boy killed by log in surf as tropical storm churns in Gulf," 21 June 2017
Everyone getting fired and escorted off the premises after immediately admitting their wrongdoing, $3,314.40 worth of snacks down the drain.

— devon ivie, Teen Vogue, "Some CIA Contractors Were Fired for Stealing Vending Machine Snacks," 21 June 2017

First Known Use of escort

1708

ESCORT Defined for English Language Learners

escort

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verb

Definition of escort for English Language Learners

: to go with (someone or something) to give protection or guidance

ESCORT Defined for Kids

escort

play

noun es·cort \ˈe-ˌskȯrt\

Definition of escort for Students

1 : a person or group that accompanies someone to give protection or show courtesy a police escort
2 : the man who goes with a woman to a social event