as in escaping
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
the burglar was trying to abscond with the jewels when he tumbled down the stairs
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Recent Examples of absconding
Warrants in Texas have been issued for the absconding Democrats arrest.
—
Jim Talamonti, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
In early-1970s Framingham, Massachusetts, taciturn family man James (Josh O’Connor) makes the rash, largely inscrutable decision to orchestrate a heist at the local art museum, absconding with a selection of modern paintings—without much of a plan.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
The older brother, Obed, had a beautiful daughter and a beautiful, young ex-wife, both of whom had left him, absconding to the West Coast.
—Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
In this unregulated space, however, horror stories abound of coaches and team owners breaking promises and absconding with players’ money, including in Etienne’s league.
—Chris Quintana, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
The key moment in the film is a montage of the lovers absconding to Chris’s Malibu getaway for a trip that’s ridiculously, car-commercial lush.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2024
Noblewoman Jeanne de La Motte then, so the story goes, posed as the queen and convinced an out-of-favor cardinal to give her the lavish necklace as a gift before absconding with the lucrative diamonds.
—Hannah Peart, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
Despite never having laid eyes on him, Nam feels drawn to understand where and how his father passed, and before absconding from Vietnam embarks on a journey with Hoa, Ba and Viet to find the site of his death.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Jim Talamonti, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
In early-1970s Framingham, Massachusetts, taciturn family man James (Josh O’Connor) makes the rash, largely inscrutable decision to orchestrate a heist at the local art museum, absconding with a selection of modern paintings—without much of a plan.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
The older brother, Obed, had a beautiful daughter and a beautiful, young ex-wife, both of whom had left him, absconding to the West Coast.
—Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
In this unregulated space, however, horror stories abound of coaches and team owners breaking promises and absconding with players’ money, including in Etienne’s league.
—Chris Quintana, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
The key moment in the film is a montage of the lovers absconding to Chris’s Malibu getaway for a trip that’s ridiculously, car-commercial lush.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2024
Noblewoman Jeanne de La Motte then, so the story goes, posed as the queen and convinced an out-of-favor cardinal to give her the lavish necklace as a gift before absconding with the lucrative diamonds.
—Hannah Peart, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
Despite never having laid eyes on him, Nam feels drawn to understand where and how his father passed, and before absconding from Vietnam embarks on a journey with Hoa, Ba and Viet to find the site of his death.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for absconding
Verb
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In this add on, a meteor lands on a volcanic island and so Kirby is left collecting shards of a shattered crystal and preventing an eerie presence from inside the rock from escaping.—
Joshua Lamb,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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The Story of Pearl Girl centers on a sharp, scrappy heroine (Zhao Lusi) who claws her way into high society after escaping a cruel pearl farm.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Related Stories While fleeing with her family from Gaza City in January 2024, the car Rajab was traveling in was shelled, killing her uncle, aunt and three cousins.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
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Rajab and her family had been fleeing Gaza City when their vehicle was shelled, killing her uncle, aunt, and three cousins.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sandhagen dispatched Edgar with a vicious flying knee 28 seconds into that bout.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Considering the loss, UNC might have to come back in a big way in their next outing to ensure the jokes stop flying.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Absconding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/absconding. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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