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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fleeing
He has been charged with felony fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle, and felony assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, the sheriff’s office said.
—
Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 17 Feb. 2026
That evidence came in the form of a video recorded by the Venezuelan national's wife, who said her husband was shot in front of their family while fleeing ICE officers on foot.
—Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Faisal recounted a horrific experience during his family’s displacement, when they were stopped at the Hallaba—a checkpoint the Israeli military had set up for fleeing Gazans.
—Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
At the time, the Daily News reported that Meade, after fleeing the scene, had a friend pick him up near Chelsea Piers.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
Residents are fleeing the Bay State for states with lower taxes.
—Wendy R. Anderson, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Unverified footage circulating on social media shows players diving for cover and fans fleeing their seats after popping sounds are heard.
—Kimberlee Kruesi, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
In between people fleeing their homes and a severe financial crisis, many abandoned their pets.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 10 Feb. 2026
Cellphone records place him in the area of the Colony Apartments in Kendall during the shooting, prosecutors say, and an eyewitness identified Jones as the man fleeing the scene after the shooting.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 17 Feb. 2026
That evidence came in the form of a video recorded by the Venezuelan national's wife, who said her husband was shot in front of their family while fleeing ICE officers on foot.
—Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Faisal recounted a horrific experience during his family’s displacement, when they were stopped at the Hallaba—a checkpoint the Israeli military had set up for fleeing Gazans.
—Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
At the time, the Daily News reported that Meade, after fleeing the scene, had a friend pick him up near Chelsea Piers.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
Residents are fleeing the Bay State for states with lower taxes.
—Wendy R. Anderson, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Unverified footage circulating on social media shows players diving for cover and fans fleeing their seats after popping sounds are heard.
—Kimberlee Kruesi, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
In between people fleeing their homes and a severe financial crisis, many abandoned their pets.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 10 Feb. 2026
Cellphone records place him in the area of the Colony Apartments in Kendall during the shooting, prosecutors say, and an eyewitness identified Jones as the man fleeing the scene after the shooting.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleeing
Verb
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That doesn’t mean the drama is disappearing completely.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Sometimes, these platforms use disappearing messages.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But a previous owner of the injection well noted in a report to the state that the well was missing a layer of cement that would help prevent the wastewater from escaping at shallow depths, where most drinking water sources exist, Plummer wrote in an email to oil division colleagues.—
Nick Bowlin,
The Frontier,
16 Feb. 2026
-
So much for escaping the bubble.—
The Editors,
Outside,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Advertisement The ability to sit face to face, to listen as much as to argue, to disagree without retreating into caricature is a prerequisite for meaningful action.—
Alan H.H. Fleischmann,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Defeat at Fort Necessity Washington then made the fateful decision to dig in and call for reinforcements instead of retreating in the face of inevitable French retaliation.—
Christopher Magra,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Las Culturistas cohost Bowen Yang, who recently departed SNL and has a thriving career in movies and TV, grows reflective at the thought of the traditional late-night format vanishing altogether—and with it the power to speak to a wide range of Americans all at once.—
Joy Press,
Vanity Fair,
19 Feb. 2026
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Stitt and Moore are the leaders of the National Governors Association, one of a vanishing few bipartisan institutions left in American politics.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
House Bill 561, sponsored by Hill and focused on blocking Boise from flying a Pride flag, was sent to the House’s amending order after a debate on the House floor.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Feb. 2026
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A number of the parents who witnessed that 2024 apology are flying in from around the country in hopes of securing a courtroom seat to watch Zuckerberg’s witness testimony.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Additionally, peppers can offer a bit of afternoon shade to your lettuce plants, slowing down bolting and prolonging harvest.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Feb. 2026
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The high-stakes move is aimed at stopping a half-dozen suburbs from bolting from the Dallas Area Rapid Transit.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He’s spurred to do so, however, by Roza (Michelle Tzontchev), a single parent who now tellingly goes by the anglicized Rose, but is troubled by her growing distance (and more so, her young son’s) from her cultural roots — and her fading memories of a mother who didn’t travel and change with them.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
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The engines fading into something that felt like disbelief.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That left only three crew members to keep the place running — one American and two Russians — prompting NASA to pause spacewalks and trim research.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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After the nuptials, hundreds of dyads will renew their vows as part of Love in Times Square, a long-running tradition held by the Times Square Alliance, a neighborhood nonprofit.—
Andrea Sachs,
Washington Post,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fleeing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleeing. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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