take it on the lam
idiom
: to try to escape
—used mainly to suggest or imitate the language of old movies about gangsters
She stole a lot of money from her employer and took it on the lam.
Examples of take it on the lam in a Sentence
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When his first attempt doesn’t succeed, father and daughter take it on the lam, temporarily finding refuge with an elderly farmer (veteran actor John Beasley, terrific) before eventually winding up in the agency’s clutches.
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Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 May 2022
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Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 May 2022
Cite this Entry
“Take it on the lam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20it%20on%20the%20lam. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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