on the lam
idiom
US, informal
: trying to avoid being caught by the police
two escaped convicts on the lam
Examples of on the lam in a Sentence
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One of the inmates still on the lam after the recent jailbreak in New Orleans has put out a plea for help directed at Lil Wayne, Meek Mill, and NBA YoungBoy.
—
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2025
The two inmates still on the lam are Derrick Groves, 27, who was convicted for the murders of two people in the city’s 2018 Mardi Gras day shooting; and Antoine T. Massey, 31, who was being held on domestic abuse and car theft charges.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 27 May 2025
To recap: Hen is barely clinging to life, Chimney is actively dying of consumption, Ravi is potentially facing prison time and Moira is on the lam.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 10 Apr. 2025
What follows is a quest for somebody named Ralph Sampson, recently on the lam—born poor, grown rich, and, according to his daughter, wholly oblivious to the needs of the Mexican workers on his ranch, not far from Bakersfield, who are now on strike.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
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Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2025
The two inmates still on the lam are Derrick Groves, 27, who was convicted for the murders of two people in the city’s 2018 Mardi Gras day shooting; and Antoine T. Massey, 31, who was being held on domestic abuse and car theft charges.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 27 May 2025
To recap: Hen is barely clinging to life, Chimney is actively dying of consumption, Ravi is potentially facing prison time and Moira is on the lam.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 10 Apr. 2025
What follows is a quest for somebody named Ralph Sampson, recently on the lam—born poor, grown rich, and, according to his daughter, wholly oblivious to the needs of the Mexican workers on his ranch, not far from Bakersfield, who are now on strike.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the lam
Cite this Entry
“On the lam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20lam. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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