1
as in disappearing
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 escaping
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
a murderer who fled on foot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in retreating
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fleeing
China began conducting the contentious patrols after a February 2024 accident in which two Chinese fishermen drowned near Kinmen while fleeing from Taiwan’s coast guard.
—
Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
About 10 minutes later, a suspect drove onto the grass near 14 Mile and Van Dyke and struck two pedestrians before fleeing the scene.
—Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The second film, made two years into the war, in 2024, was shot in various camps across Europe and the US, where Ukrainian refugees resided alongside those fleeing other conflicts and crises.
—Joanna Warsza, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Black and his co-writers soften the cold mercenary side of Parker by giving him something of a moral compass, which prompts him to toss $10,000 to the stranger’s wife before fleeing the scene.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
Over the 1990s, Washington seized on that opacity to transform the base into a theater of extraterritorial mass incarceration to hold tens of thousands of Haitian and Cuban asylum-seekers fleeing political violence and economic collapse in their home countries.
—Miriam Pensack, The Dial, 30 Sep. 2025
The crew shot out the engine to stop the fleeing boat.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
And so, frankly, is this city, built on the idea of freedom and the offer of sanctuary to those fleeing persecution elsewhere.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
The person signaling to the others with their flashlight began shooting at the correctional officers from a line of trees across the street before fleeing.
—Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
About 10 minutes later, a suspect drove onto the grass near 14 Mile and Van Dyke and struck two pedestrians before fleeing the scene.
—Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The second film, made two years into the war, in 2024, was shot in various camps across Europe and the US, where Ukrainian refugees resided alongside those fleeing other conflicts and crises.
—Joanna Warsza, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Black and his co-writers soften the cold mercenary side of Parker by giving him something of a moral compass, which prompts him to toss $10,000 to the stranger’s wife before fleeing the scene.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
Over the 1990s, Washington seized on that opacity to transform the base into a theater of extraterritorial mass incarceration to hold tens of thousands of Haitian and Cuban asylum-seekers fleeing political violence and economic collapse in their home countries.
—Miriam Pensack, The Dial, 30 Sep. 2025
The crew shot out the engine to stop the fleeing boat.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
And so, frankly, is this city, built on the idea of freedom and the offer of sanctuary to those fleeing persecution elsewhere.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
The person signaling to the others with their flashlight began shooting at the correctional officers from a line of trees across the street before fleeing.
—Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleeing
Verb
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Satellite imagery and field surveys show entire farming communities disappearing because their groundwater sources failed.—
Nik Kowsar,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, 200 kilometers away in the Syrian desert, a Bedouin family shares their daily life with Danielle, an intimate archive of a disappearing world.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After escaping prison in New Jersey in November 1979, Shakur lived in hiding for several years before being smuggled to Cuba, where Fidel Castro’s government granted her asylum in 1984.—
Essence,
Essence,
30 Sep. 2025
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Female students were praying separately and escaping from another part of the school.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Yesterday seemed much more like a team retreating by choice, both through in-game changes and by the sheer fear of surrendering another lead — a fear that became a self-fulfilling prophecy.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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The video ends with federal agents retreating into a nearby building as protesters advanced toward their position, shouting and cheering.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Despite Hurricane Humberto vanishing off the map and Post-Tropical Cyclone Imelda safely out to sea, there’s no breather for the Atlantic this October.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
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But those scraps of goodwill may be vanishing.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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What To Know Schleswig-Holstein's interior minster, Sabine Sütterlin-Waack, confirmed that drones were seen flying above the coastal state just south of Denmark overnight into Friday, September 26, and that the incident is under investigation for potential sabotage or espionage.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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The shutdown means the Fed will be partially flying blind with investors expecting the central bank's second rate cut of the year later this month and another decrease in December.—
Sean Conlon,Pia Singh,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cool-season planting keeps parsley from bolting, or going to seed quickly.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
2 Oct. 2025
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Only this time, the quarterback exploded through the line, followed a crushing lead block by Skattebo and bolting into the end zone.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That combo typically signals bearish pressure is fading and a potential trend shift is forming.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
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Glitter’s dusty shadow, fading into the lower part of the brow bone, brought out the moody hue on the lips.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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She was appointed solicitor general in 2023 by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is running for governor.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
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Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and D’Andre Swift in the 2017 backfield, and 2018 with Swift and Elijah Holyfield both running for 1,000 yards.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fleeing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleeing. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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