1
as in disappeared
to cease to be visible
the fog fled with the arrival of the dawn
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in escaped
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
a murderer who fled on foot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in retreated
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
a toddler who fled when the ladybug he had been quietly watching suddenly began flying around the room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 fled
The Haitian immigrant, along with hundreds of thousands of others in the past decade, fled his home country to escape violence and repression.
—
Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Feb. 2026
Mitchell’s companion yanked a necklace off Reed’s neck before both suspects fled the area, authorities said.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
When officers arrived, the teenagers fled but were later caught and arrested.
—Louis Casiano , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Witnesses told officers that the driver of a black Dodge 3500 pickup truck fled the scene without stopping to help Lopez, according to the statement.
—Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
The driver failed to stop and fled from the area, police said.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Millions of Venezuelans have fled political unrest, mass unemployment and hunger.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
Alinejad, who fled Iran in 2009, is a longtime critic of Iran's head-covering laws and a journalist.
—Kanishka Singh, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Acosta-Hernandez fled the vehicle on foot and officers established a perimeter.
—Graeme Taskerud, The Denver Post, 7 Mar. 2025
Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Feb. 2026
Mitchell’s companion yanked a necklace off Reed’s neck before both suspects fled the area, authorities said.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
When officers arrived, the teenagers fled but were later caught and arrested.
—Louis Casiano , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Witnesses told officers that the driver of a black Dodge 3500 pickup truck fled the scene without stopping to help Lopez, according to the statement.
—Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
The driver failed to stop and fled from the area, police said.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Millions of Venezuelans have fled political unrest, mass unemployment and hunger.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
Alinejad, who fled Iran in 2009, is a longtime critic of Iran's head-covering laws and a journalist.
—Kanishka Singh, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Acosta-Hernandez fled the vehicle on foot and officers established a perimeter.
—Graeme Taskerud, The Denver Post, 7 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fled
Verb
-
As the climate shifted from wet, mangrove-like forests to more arid environments, many early herbivores struggled to adapt and eventually disappeared.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Searches continued in Allen Park, Michigan, for 25-year-old Wyandotte man, Tyler Bojanowski, who authorities say disappeared last week.—
Julia Avant,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That season’s squad, which had gone to the NIT three straight years, escaped the non-conference schedule with a record of 9-2.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The rescue came about after Jordan Turpin — who was 17 at the time — escaped from the home and told authorities about their captivity and abuse.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Keller then challenged him to a fight and the student retreated into the hall.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Mohr wrote the 12 songs on Carve over the course of five years, and eventually retreated to the rural Mojave Desert to properly record them.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As the researchers increased the dose of the medication, however, Mary’s appetite vanished.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Over the past decade, opportunities for young people to gather and socialize have nearly vanished, outside of organized sports.—
Claire Benedict,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In San Juan and nearby communities, neighborhoods buzzed as the Super Bowl itself faded into the background and attention turned entirely to Bad Bunny’s 13 minutes on stage.—
Martin Silva Rey,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
When the Cougars were building their biggest lead, the boos for Wright had finally faded.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Nothing has to be glued or bolted together, and no complicated Ikea-style instructions take up your entire afternoon.—
Maryna Holovnova,
New Atlas,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The driver bolted, state police said.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
John Gaspar was not expecting the winter heating bills for his Chicago studio apartment to top $160 a month, especially since running the air conditioning over the summer was not particularly expensive.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Once fully operational, the campus is designed to deliver 1GW of capacity, giving the company flexibility to run both its core digital platforms and fast-growing AI workloads.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fled. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
