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

Simmons is then accused of carjacking a vehicle from someone who was at the medical facility and fleeing the scene. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 1 July 2025

The brothers ran, but Brown was fatally wounded, and witnesses described seeing a pickup truck fleeing the scene. —Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 30 June 2025

Residents in the path of a wildfire in California have been urged to flee as officials order evacuations across the region. —Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025

Days later, Leyva reportedly fled to Madrid, citing concerns for his personal safety. —Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 June 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