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.

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.

Synonyms

• 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

Birds flew overhead, joining desert dwellers fleeing the haze. —Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Abrego Garcia, 30, fled his native El Salvador at age 16 to live with his brother in Maryland. —John Bacon, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025

Woods forced a man from a car in the 7600 block of Cicero Avenue, demanded money and fled in the vehicle before his arrest in the 2900 block of 95th Street, police said. —Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025

Brown, who fled to the Cedarburg area, was initially taken into custody as a person of interest by the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office. —Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 27 Aug. 2025

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