1
as in to disappear
to cease to be visible
the fog fled with the arrival of the dawn
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to escape
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
a murderer who fled on foot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to retreat
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
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Recent Examples of flee
According to the family’s attorney, the child, Joseph Rodriguez, and his family had fled Colombia four years ago and were seeking asylum in the United States.
—
Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2026
The unrest forced the Shah to flee in January 1979; within weeks, Khomeini had returned.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 8 Mar. 2026
On Wednesday, Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said Turkey had drawn up contingency plans that involve tent camps and buffer zones to respond to a potential influx of people fleeing the war from Iran.
—ABC News, 8 Mar. 2026
And areas of south Lebanon – Hezbollah’s home turf – have once again been pounded from across the Israeli border, leaving dozens of people killed and injured, while thousands have fled their homes to take shelter out of the line of fire.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flee
Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2026
The unrest forced the Shah to flee in January 1979; within weeks, Khomeini had returned.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 8 Mar. 2026
On Wednesday, Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said Turkey had drawn up contingency plans that involve tent camps and buffer zones to respond to a potential influx of people fleeing the war from Iran.
—ABC News, 8 Mar. 2026
And areas of south Lebanon – Hezbollah’s home turf – have once again been pounded from across the Israeli border, leaving dozens of people killed and injured, while thousands have fled their homes to take shelter out of the line of fire.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flee
Verb
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Nickelate thin films must be grown with atomic-level precision, otherwise their delicate electronic properties disappear.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Your son, who has passed you and continued on, aptly makes his way through one of those ghost-tour groups and disappears from view.—
Addie Citchens,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With Sunday marking the start of a four-game homestand that includes matchups against the Wizards on Tuesday, Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday and Orlando Magic on Saturday, this is an important week for the Heat to take advantage of in its push to escape the NBA’s play-in tournament.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
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Unlike that unfortunate royal, however, the hoard of coins successfully escaped capture; Anastasia, in reality, did not.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On her island home in the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, the shoreline has visibly retreated within her short lifetime, with beaches eroded, coastal trees uprooted and some homes now barely 3 feet from the sea at high tide.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
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The real horror in Frankenstein was a brilliant man who unleashed power and retreated from accountability.—
Tom Debley,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tourists have mostly vanished; there is no more jet fuel for the planes to take them home.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
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Two of her beloved horses vanished without a trace.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The company, which has more than 100 full-time employees, has trained just over 50 people to fly its aircraft.—
The Los Angeles Times,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
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More than 20,000 of the more than 36,000 flights scheduled to fly to or from the Middle East between the start of the war and Wednesday have been canceled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Three days later, Litmus Test faded to third place in his first start of the year, the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.—
Jay Posner,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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What sympathy there may have been for a cornered, bruised Iranian regime among its neighbors has faded in the face of Tehran’s escalation.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Heat also stresses the plant and can cause bolting.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
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At the rate business was humming along, ValenSil was on track to bolt on a third shift, add about eight to 15 more workers, and even purchase land for further expansion.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Police said Baima had robbed a BMO bank branch before running from officers and pointing what appeared to be a handgun at them.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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Harris, a Democrat who ran for the seat in 2024, is a retired Brigadier General who spent 40 years in the military before becoming a cattle producer in Polk County.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flee. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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