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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
Reading became an intellectual pursuit, one of focus instead of escape. Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025 The report is based on interviews with over 300 people who escaped the country. Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
As law enforcement continue the search, online sleuths began hypothesizing about the suspect's escape from the scene, leading some to the Provo Airport (PVU), a public-use regional airfield less than 15 minutes drive from UVU’s campus. Colson Thayer, People.com, 11 Sep. 2025 The resort-style pool offers a refreshing escape with a waterfall and slide feature. Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for escape
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escape
Verb
  • Following its defeat by Communist Party forces in the Chinese Civil War, the Chinese Nationalist movement, led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled to the island in 1949 as a government in exile.
    Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
  • In six months, the site has grown from 600 people fleeing gang attacks in nearby Delmas 30 to 5,000 people from all over the capital, sheltering in packed government offices and makeshift shacks.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The discovery adds a new dimension to understanding cancer and therapy resistance, where cells often evade treatment by shifting states.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
  • But Moscow has found ways to evade these.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • When users search for flights on Google Flights, the search engine will say if the fares or lower, higher or average for that route.
    Eve Chen, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The lopsided nature was underlined last season, with only two top-flight clubs using the right side less than Villa when attacking.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Fare evasion could result in a $50 citation and a Class 3 misdemeanor charge, according to CATS spokesperson Brett Baldeck.
    Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
  • That may sound like a small thing, but fare evasion is linked to crime on public transit.
    Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • While some travelers choose to fly on Thanksgiving Day for lower prices and crowds, most leave at least a day early to avoid the risk of cancellations or delays upending their holiday plans.
    Eve Chen, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Two games in, though, the Packers have passed both tests with flying colors.
    Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • However, by sharing so much of Lisa's code, the interface practically demanded a pointing device, and the mouse was selected, even though Raskin had so carefully tried to avoid it.
    Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
  • These writers will work under the latest Public Television Freelance Agreement, which the WGA East ratified in December after a lengthy and sometimes contentious negotiation cycle with PBS, narrowly avoiding a strike.
    Katie Campione, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • So while cells in a younger person (that were continuously exposed to estrogen prior to HRT) might benefit from a fresh influx of estrogen, ones that had a break from that estrogen bath might react negatively to it.
    Erica Sloan, SELF, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Midday daylight breaks help sustain energy, while dim, warmer light in the evening primes the mind for recovery.
    Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • When curiosity replaces avoidance, workplace innovation becomes the natural outcome.
    Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Zoox combines the state of the art in perception, prediction, planning, and crash avoidance technology.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 14 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Escape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escape. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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