What is the meaning of escape?

noun

  • The act of escaping physically.
    • usage: "he made his escape from the mental hospital"; "the canary escaped from its cage"; "his flight was an indication of his guilt"
  • An inclination to retreat from unpleasant realities through diversion or fantasy.
    • usage: "romantic novels were her escape from the stress of daily life"; "his alcohol problem was a form of escapism"
  • Nonperformance of something distasteful (as by deceit or trickery) that you are supposed to do.
    • usage: "his evasion of his clear duty was reprehensible"; "that escape from the consequences is possible but unattractive"
  • An avoidance of danger or difficulty.
    • usage: "that was a narrow escape"
  • A means or way of escaping.
    • usage: "hard work was his escape from worry"; "they installed a second hatch as an escape"; "their escape route"
  • A plant originally cultivated but now growing wild.
  • The discharge of a fluid from some container.
    • usage: "they tried to stop the escape of gas from the damaged pipe"; "he had to clean up the leak"
  • A valve in a container in which pressure can build up (as a steam boiler); it opens automatically when the pressure reaches a dangerous level.

verb

  • Run away from confinement.
    • usage: "The convicted murderer escaped from a high security prison"
  • Fail to experience.
    • usage: "Fortunately, I missed the hurricane"
  • Escape potentially unpleasant consequences; get away with a forbidden action.
    • usage: "She gets away with murder"; "I couldn't get out from under these responsibilities"
  • Be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by.
    • usage: "What you are seeing in him eludes me"
  • Remove oneself from a familiar environment, usually for pleasure or diversion.
    • usage: "We escaped to our summer house for a few days"; "The president of the company never manages to get away during the summer"
  • Flee; take to one's heels; cut and run.
    • usage: "If you see this man, run"; "The burglars escaped before the police showed up"
  • Issue or leak, as from a small opening.
    • usage: "Gas escaped into the bedroom"
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APAWordNet. (2010). Escape. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/escape/definitions/1188799
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "Escape" http://smartdefine.org/escape/definitions/1188799 (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, Escape, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/escape/definitions/1188799>.
MLAWordNet. "Escape" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/escape/definitions/1188799>
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