1
as in fleeing
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
everyone managed to escape from the burning building in time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in avoiding
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery
a judge who is very determined not to let criminals escape punishment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of escaping
One theory is that a surprisingly large amount of crude is escaping the double blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, helping the global energy system absorb the historic shock.
—
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Still others were escaping the horrors of the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia.
—Elizabeth Holtzman, Time, 9 June 2026
Michael Wara, senior research scholar at Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment, said the many older adults living in Bay Area communities at risk of burning could have trouble escaping a wildfire in time.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 8 June 2026
This could be taken as the view of someone escaping enslavement by jumping overboard during the Middle Passage, until an unseen narrator praises Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the New World.
—Greg Allen, ARTnews.com, 7 June 2026
This confinement blocks heat from escaping the zone where the laser hit the target.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026
That fantasy was always about escaping American pace — the commute, the density, the relentlessness of a career that consumed everything.
—Lindsey Harn, Fortune, 6 June 2026
On the surface, the premise of the television franchise—escaping to a villa in Fiji for a couple of weeks to mingle with hot singles, plus a cash prize of $100,000 and social media stardom—may sound like a dream.
—Audrey Noble, Vogue, 4 June 2026
There’s no escaping the truth at the combine—the league measures these guys down to the quarter inch, and publishes the findings online for everyone to see.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Still others were escaping the horrors of the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia.
—Elizabeth Holtzman, Time, 9 June 2026
Michael Wara, senior research scholar at Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment, said the many older adults living in Bay Area communities at risk of burning could have trouble escaping a wildfire in time.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 8 June 2026
This could be taken as the view of someone escaping enslavement by jumping overboard during the Middle Passage, until an unseen narrator praises Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the New World.
—Greg Allen, ARTnews.com, 7 June 2026
This confinement blocks heat from escaping the zone where the laser hit the target.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026
That fantasy was always about escaping American pace — the commute, the density, the relentlessness of a career that consumed everything.
—Lindsey Harn, Fortune, 6 June 2026
On the surface, the premise of the television franchise—escaping to a villa in Fiji for a couple of weeks to mingle with hot singles, plus a cash prize of $100,000 and social media stardom—may sound like a dream.
—Audrey Noble, Vogue, 4 June 2026
There’s no escaping the truth at the combine—the league measures these guys down to the quarter inch, and publishes the findings online for everyone to see.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escaping
Verb
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Investigators said Kamara then exchanged gunfire with the second officer on scene before fleeing farther down the trail.—
Maggie Trovato,
Baltimore Sun,
9 June 2026
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The poetic horror drama follows a young mother fleeing a toxic relationship and reconnecting with her grandmother, who carries wounds of her own.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The drone filmed from the north and south ends of the channel and shot an FWC boat travelling around the same speed that Pino’s Robalo was going on the day of the crash and the same path before avoiding the piling at the last second.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
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As a result, there has been growing interest in treatments that can deliver powerful cancer medicines more precisely while avoiding some of the limitations of traditional chemotherapy.—
William A. Haseltine,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Arden, who wore a plaid jacket and laceless black sneakers, headed to the flying area.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
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According to the researchers, bumblebee behavior is not limited to flying around and diving belly deep into pollen.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Daniels later pleaded no contest to evading a police officer, court records show, in a deal that saw prosecutors dismiss numerous other charges, including second degree burglary of a vehicle and four counts of assault on a police officer.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
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Chad Ollinger is incarcerated in Las Vegas jail after being charged with evading arrest in Texas in November 2024.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Escaping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escaping. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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