flee

verb

fled ˈfled How to pronounce flee (audio) ; 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.

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
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.
But that doesn’t explain the real story, which is that Schon was from Dresden, in East Germany, and fled to West Germany in 1950 because of political interference in East German football. Michael Cox, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025 Waymo cars are always recording video of their surroundings, and Waymo provided the licence plate of the fleeing vehicle to the police. Brad Templeton, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025 Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to squalid refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh, but Mohammad and his daughter found safety and hope in India. Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025 Kirk was answering an audience question about mass shootings when the bullet struck his neck, causing students and visitors to flee in panic. Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for flee

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of flee was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flee. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

flee

verb
fled ˈfled How to pronounce flee (audio) ; 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

More from Merriam-Webster on flee

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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