flee

verb

ˈflē 

fled 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.

c

law : to evade arrest, detention, or prosecution

2

: to pass away swiftly : vanish

mists fleeing before the rising sun

transitive verb

: to run away from

fled the scene of the accident

Many people fled the city to escape the fighting.

Synonyms of flee

• disappear
• vanish
• fade
• fly

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 on the Web

Migration is a sensitive issue across Europe, where right-wing parties have surged in the decade since a 2015 crisis when more than a million people crossed the continent mainly on foot and sought asylum, most fleeing war in Syria. — CNN Money, 31 July 2026

According to authorities, officers canvassed the area, learned Curtis had fled into a nearby home, and secured the area while detectives obtained a search warrant. — Doug Myers, CBS News, 31 July 2026

The latest ruling comes four months after Cohen found that the Modigliani belonged to the estate of Jewish art dealer Oscar Stettiner, who left it behind while fleeing Paris ahead of the Nazi occupation. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 30 July 2026

Unfortunately, a prologue has already alerted us to the fact that a wild animal being trafficked has escaped its cage and vehicle, fleeing into the same woods Irina’s chauffeur now drives through. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 30 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English flen, from Old English flēon; akin to Old High German fliohan to flee

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing flee

• leave/flee the nest

Rhymes for flee

• be
• bee
• bree
• cree
• fee
• flea
• free
• gee
• ghee
• glee
• he
• ki

Kids Definition

flee

verb

ˈflē 

fled ˈfled  ; fleeing

1

a

: to run away often from danger or evil : fly

b

: to run away from : shun

2

: to pass away swiftly : vanish

the mist fled before the rising sun