flee

verb

ˈflē

fled ˈfled

; fleeing

Synonyms of flee next

intransitive verb

: to run away often from danger or evil : fly

The family fled from the war-torn zone.

: to hurry toward a place of security

Refugees fled to a neighboring country.

: 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.

Example Sentences

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 on the Web After Mizell was hit in the head, Bryant, Jordan and a third person, Ronald Washington, fled, the memo says. —

Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 31 May 2023 It is named for Col. Allen Allensworth, who escaped slavery by fleeing behind Union lines and then joined the Navy before making his way to California. —

Brooke Jarvis, New York Times, 31 May 2023 These moves sent advertisers fleeing in droves, and any efforts to win them back have been unsuccessful. —

Tori Otten, The New Republic, 31 May 2023 Aqabat Jaber refugee camp houses thousands of Palestinians who have lived there since fleeing or being evicted from their homes in 1948 during Israel’s founding. —

Hadas Gold, CNN, 30 May 2023 The character, named Leo, fled Vienna during the war as a child, and now, in 1955, returns to the city as a proud 24-year-old Englishman, with an anglicized name, and with few memories of his time in the city and of his Jewish heritage. —

Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2023 Before arriving in Montreal, Romine had committed a rape in West Virginia in 1974 and fled to Canada, added CTV. —

Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 25 May 2023 After a bloody beating, Tina fled and filed for divorce in 1976. —

Barry Walters, EW.com, 24 May 2023 Authorities say the 78-year-old businessman planned to use the off-site medical procedure to escape the Indian River County jail in Vero Beach, Fla., flee to his native France and avoid being prosecuted. —

Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 24 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.