Definition of flee
fled
play \ˈfled\;fleeing
intransitive verb
1a : 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.
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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 of flee from the Web
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In May alone, nearly 95,000 residents fled their homes or shelters because of violence in the Raqqa province, according to the U.N.'s refugee agency, UNHCR.
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Reynolds said there are circumstances when an officer is in the process of identifying someone and the person flees.
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The 27-year-old Fairfax County native fled the group three months later and was captured by Kurdish forces in Iraq.
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The woman then started screaming, and the attacker fled east through a gangway on the south side of the property, police said.
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Also slain was Deputy William Durr, a two-year sheriff's department veteran and former police officer in nearby Brookhaven, where authorities said Godbolt fled and killed four more people at two other homes.
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The case involves Sreynuon Lunn, 32, who was born in a Thai refugee camp to Cambodian parents fleeing the Khmer Rouge and brought to the United States as a seven-month-old child.
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Ramadan Abedi, the father, fled Libya during the rule of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in 1993 — the year before Salman was born, in Britain — but returned after Colonel Qaddafi was overthrown in 2011.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flee'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of flee
Middle English flen, from Old English flēon; akin to Old High German fliohan to flee
First Known Use: before 12th century
FLEE Defined for English Language Learners
flee
playDefinition of flee for English Language Learners
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: to run away from danger
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: to run away from (a place)
FLEE Defined for Kids
flee
playDefinition of flee for Students
fled
\ˈfled\;fleeing
: to run away or away from Animals fled the fire.
Learn More about flee
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See words that rhyme with flee Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for flee Spanish Central: Translation of flee Nglish: Translation of flee for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of flee for Arabic speakers
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