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
Huck was fleeing his abusive alcoholic father, and Jim was seeking freedom.
—
Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 31 May 2026
For Castellanos, a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, who immigrated from El Salvador with his family after fleeing the country's civil war, the event also reflects the community that welcomed him.
—Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 31 May 2026
When the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum opened in 2007, its main purpose was to tell the stories of the more than 20,000 Jewish refugees who fled Europe in the 1930s for Shanghai.
—Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2026
The deputies returned fire as Puckett allegedly fled the scene, Kemp said.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for flee
Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 31 May 2026
For Castellanos, a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, who immigrated from El Salvador with his family after fleeing the country's civil war, the event also reflects the community that welcomed him.
—Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 31 May 2026
When the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum opened in 2007, its main purpose was to tell the stories of the more than 20,000 Jewish refugees who fled Europe in the 1930s for Shanghai.
—Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2026
The deputies returned fire as Puckett allegedly fled the scene, Kemp said.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for flee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flee
Verb
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However, outside the capital’s borders, this urban gloss disappears.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
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With listings disappearing almost immediately, Giangreco hired a broker to tour apartments for her and send videos.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Mission Viejo right fielder Riley Campbell collected her third hit in the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate but Herrera escaped another jam to spark a celebratory dogpile.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
31 May 2026
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There's no doubt that when temperatures start to rise and approach 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the only way to survive is to find places with fans or air conditioning, or, if possible, escape to the beach or pool to cool off.—
Marilú Almaguer,
Glamour,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Instead of retreating from global trade, many small and mid-sized companies are leaning in and even accelerating global expansion.—
Greg Hewitt,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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While India’s media landscape has largely retreated in the face of the Hindu right’s fascism, Kandasamy is one of the few consistently at the barricades.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The American woman vanished from the Bahamas last month while on vacation with husband Brian Hooker.—
Kelsie Cairns,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
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Some parts of the job will completely vanish.—
Steve Banker,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Starship and Blue Moon both have a ways to go before NASA will certify the vehicles to fly astronauts, so any time lost on that front by Blue Origin could further narrow NASA's options and increase the risk of setbacks to the agency's lunar landing timeline.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
3 June 2026
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To better understand the challenges Blue Origin now faces, Ars spoke with several SpaceX veterans who experienced the AMOS-6 failure and worked the long days afterward to get the Falcon 9 rocket flying and rebuild the shattered facility at Space Launch Complex-40.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
Verb
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While desirable homes still sell quickly, frenzied bidding wars have faded.—
Sara B. Hansen,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
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Deadheading Is Another Form Of Pinching Back Deadheading is similar to pinching back, but it is done once the flowers begin to fade.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Neto bolted home with a feet-first slide.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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In this type of test, called a static fire, a rocket is fueled and its engines are ignited to test the onboard systems, but the booster remains bolted to the launch pad and does not lift off.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Verb
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My father was running the skid steer outside, clearing the snow, leaving dirty white mounds to either side of the driveway that led from the house out to the range road.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) will advance to the general election to run America’s second-most-populous city, the Associated Press projected early Wednesday, as Republican reality TV star Spencer Pratt led the challengers vying to compete against her in November.—
Hannah Knowles,
Washington Post,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flee. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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