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escape

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb escape contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of escape are avoid, elude, eschew, evade, and shun. While all these words mean "to get away or keep away from something," escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

When could avoid be used to replace escape?

The words avoid and escape can be used in similar contexts, but avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

When is it sensible to use elude instead of escape?

The words elude and escape are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

When is eschew a more appropriate choice than escape?

While in some cases nearly identical to escape, eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

When can evade be used instead of escape?

In some situations, the words evade and escape are roughly equivalent. However, evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

When would shun be a good substitute for escape?

The meanings of shun and escape largely overlap; however, shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of escape
Verb
Images show the before and after behind a toilet in one of the jail cells where the New Orleans inmates escaped. Alex Sundby, CBS News, 21 May 2025 Inside, the inmates then cut through the pipes connected to the sink and toilet to remove them and escape through the wall. Sean Neumann, People.com, 21 May 2025
Noun
Brunswick Islands Flanked by two vacation powerhouses, Wilmington and Myrtle Beach, the six beaches that make up the Brunswick Islands are a welcome escape. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 21 May 2025 Eat, Play, Love: London Just a quick jaunt through the Chunnel, London awaits for another half of the eat, play, love escape. Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for escape
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escape
Verb
  • In the past, a similar violation might have led to a fine. Petrova, a top-tier researcher, fled Russia after protesting Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine and had been working in a Harvard Medical School lab for two years.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 14 May 2025
  • The cruel politics of South Carolina lawmakers are harming families and destroying a health care system as more and more providers flee the state.
    Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
Verb
  • The former prisoners who have continued to evade police for nearly a week include Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Lenton Vanburen and Antoine Massey, according to USA Today, while Corey Boyd, Gary Price, Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, and Dkenan Dennis have been re-arrested.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 22 May 2025
  • Penguin Press, June 17 Image El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott After skipping town to evade a nagging creditor in 2008, Harper returns to her Detroit suburb months later to find her two older sisters, once in the throes of debt, sporting fresh highlights and driving a Lexus.
    Laura Thompson, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • Guests with Gold Status will also continue to enjoy free bags, Wi-Fi (subject to availability), complimentary snacks and drinks, including alcohol on eligible flights.
    Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 14 May 2025
  • Rory has company on the marquee, though, as the top of the men’s game enters the season’s second major championship in full flight.
    Justin Ray, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Noun
  • The same language figures in each, the same threats, means of evasion, forms of institutional hostility.
    Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 21 May 2025
  • Especially not someone like Rose, whose transgressions went far beyond the playing field and included everything from a tax evasion conviction to an extramarital affair with a teenager.
    Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 18 May 2025
Verb
  • This puts it far ahead of current lock-on-target drone guidance in Ukraine which simply flies directly at the target.
    David Hambling, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
  • Washington left the event shortly after the screening began, having flown to France for the festival on his sole day off, portraying the titular role in Broadway's latest production of Othello.
    Shania Russell, EW.com, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Hoerner avoided the tag, which would’ve been the second out of the inning.
    C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 26 May 2025
  • The collection avoids rigid standards by mixing tailored silhouettes with combat trousers and chunky sneakers.
    Cassell Ferere, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Noun
  • Verizon said all of the same provisions will apply to Frontier. Need a break?
    David Shepardson, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • Chances arrived at both ends before the decisive moment, David Silva bouncing a close-range volley over the bar before the break, while Kenwyne Jones toe-poked a shot into a sprawling Joe Hart — Stoke’s only on-target attempt of the game.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Noun
  • Passive resonance avoidance: Because the stiffness can be switched without changing the equilibrium state, countersnapping can be used to automatically change the natural vibration frequency of a system.
    Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 15 May 2025
  • While a low-maintenance partner values independence and space without feeling disconnected, emotional avoidance can create a sense of detachment and distance, even during key moments.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Escape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escape. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

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