flee

verb \ ˈflē \

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

Examples: flee in a Sentence

Definition of flee

fled play \ˈfled\; fleeing

intransitive verb

1 a : 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.

See flee defined for English-language learners

See flee defined for kids

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

In 2016, for example, the company famously blocked a posting of a Pulitzer-prize winning photograph of children fleeing a napalm attack during the Vietnam War.

— kevin kelleher, Fortune, "Facebook Reportedly Apologizes After Flagging the Declaration of Independence as Hate Speech," 5 July 2018
But for the thousands of migrant children fleeing with their parents from violence in Central America, that promise will probably not happen.

— bea lewis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Understanding their cries | Opinion," 5 July 2018
Silverman pushes her characters to what might be a heartrending climax, as one flees and the other collapses.

— justin hayford, Chicago Reader, "An Iowa housewife and her mismatched Roommate learn to live together and like it," 3 July 2018
The real story began months ago when thousands of people fled their homes in Central America for the U.S. The caravan walked for days on end in the hopes of making it to the United States.

— stacey leasca, Glamour, "Here's How the Women Behind the 'Families Belong Together' March Pulled off More Than 700 Protests," 3 July 2018
That was soon followed by a report of a carjacking at gunpoint at 148th and Metcalf, where the suspect fled north on Metcalf in a black GMC Denali.

— tony rizzo, joe robertson, robert a. cronkleton and max londberg, kansascity, "Victim of Overland Park shooting at school has died; suspect tried to escape custody," 3 July 2018
Berson faces charges of eluding officers/operating a fleeing vehicle, retail theft, being party to a crime and felony bail jumping.

— adriana ramirez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Waukesha man shot and wounded by deputy during chase after stealing from Delafield Kohl's, police say," 3 July 2018
Meanwhile, children currently crossing the border have particularly intense health needs — in no small part because many are fleeing violent circumstances.

— Washington Post, "Immigrant Families Placed In Detention Centers Face Health Care Challenges," 2 July 2018
Men left first, many fleeing the draft and their likely dispatch to the front.

— The Economist, "How a victorious Bashar al-Assad is changing Syria," 28 June 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

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flee Synonyms

Phrases

drop out of sight;

FLEE Defined for English Language Learners

flee

verb

Definition of flee for English Language Learners

: to run away from danger
: to run away from (a place)

FLEE Defined for Kids

flee

verb \ ˈflē \

Definition of flee for Students

fled \ˈfled\; fleeing

: to run away or away from

Animals fled the fire.

Learn More about flee

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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flee

Definition of flee

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FLEE Defined for English Language Learners

flee

Definition of flee for English Language Learners

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