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

Routh allegedly fled after the agent fired at him, and was later arrested after being stopped on a nearby interstate. —Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2025

And of those who have been forced to flee their homes — some multiple times — one in eight are children. —Johnny Fils-Aimé, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025

When a train collision causes a toxic chemical spill within reach, the spouses are forced to flee from their comfortable suburban life in Ohio for their family's safety. —Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025

The suspect immediately fled the scene in a vehicle that authorities described as a white van with no windows and a long scratch on the side, KTRK-TV reported. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 7 Sep. 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