plural escorts
Synonyms of escortnext
1
a(1)
: a person or group of persons accompanying another to give protection, provide supervision, or as a courtesy
a police escort
Visitors are not allowed to enter the building without an escort.
(2)
: a man who goes with a woman to a social event
(3)
: a person and especially a sex worker who is hired to go with someone to a social event
—often used before another noun
an escort service/agency
b
: 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)
escorted; escorting; escorts

transitive verb

: to accompany as an escort

Examples of escort in a Sentence

Noun 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. Verb 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 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.
Noun
The bomber could potentially conduct electronic attacks alongside its existing weapons operations, reducing its dependence on specialized escort aircraft in certain scenarios. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026 Two off-duty cops hired as escorts lost sight of the trailer after an unmarked sedan struck their car and forced the cops to stop as the trailer drove on. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 2026
Verb
Jackson was taken to the Ravens' medical tent and then immediately escorted to the team's locker room while wearing a towel around his entire right hand. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026 Bauer was escorting bank tellers to their drive-in stations moments before he was gunned down. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for escort

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1708, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of escort was in 1579

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Escort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escort. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

Kids Definition

1
: a person or group of persons accompanying another to give protection or show courtesy
2
: the man who goes on a date with a woman
3
: a protective screen of vehicles, warships, or planes
motorcycle escort
fighter escort
: to go along with as an escort
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