flee

verb

ˈflē How to pronounce flee (audio)
Definition of fleenext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flee In 1959, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet through the Himalayas; a smokejumper designed a special high-altitude parachute to drop three hundred thousand Indian rupees to his escape party. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 Young people armed with machetes stormed the site of the funeral, forcing the team to flee and injuring one member, a representative told the Associated Press. — Constant Same Bagalwa, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 The truck fled the scene, and the police followed, according to the report. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026 Woods also actively shot an unarmed bystander who appeared to be trying to flee from the gunfire, charges allege. — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flee
  1. disappear
  2. escape
  3. retreat
  4. vanish
  5. fly
  6. fade
  7. bolt
  8. run
Verb
  • Up to half of the more than 200,000 mountain glaciers — vast, slow moving rivers of ice that creep across the world’s peaks — are expected to disappear by the end of this century, even if ambitious climate goals are met.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Among the habitats Steinbach filmed are tidal floodplain forests, a landscape type that has largely disappeared in Europe.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of disappear
Verb
  • Nuclear Children follows 18-year-old Isla Sparrow who, after the death of her father in a submarine accident, hopes to escape her grieving family and flee to university.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Messick escaped further damage by striking out Jose Siri and getting Campero to pop out.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of escape
Verb
  • The technology was also tested against deceptive behaviour, an in a different scenario, fishing boats appeared to retreat while vessels from another direction accelerated toward the coastguard ship.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The player reported that the man had opened a knife and moved toward him before retreating into his room.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of retreat
Verb
  • The research makes a compelling case that in the age of AI, the once-bright line between data and executable code is vanishing.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Hollywood voice actors are split over AI voice cloning, as big-name performers license lucrative replicas while freelancers see jobs vanish and fear training their own replacements.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of vanish
Verb
  • At his best, Fries flies off the ball with force and aggression.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Crews were not able to fly over the fire for several days due to smoke and visibility concerns, but were able to map it Saturday at 24,839 acres, Beyer said.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of fly
Verb
  • Bitcoin has been in a prolonged slump since October, and BTIG noted that a similar surge in January 2023 initially faded before the cryptocurrency found support around its 200-day moving average.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The crimson hue that may have been visible at the height of the eclipse will gradually fade as the crescent of the lunar disk exposed to direct sunlight grows, and normality reasserts itself over the natural satellite.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of fade
Verb
  • That sequencing bothers people who’ve spent careers being told that data systems need privacy protections designed in, not bolted on after a scandal.
    — Karl W. Bickel, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Next, workers will install new cables, bolted into the five main branches, to stabilize the tree before removing the old supports.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of bolt
Verb
  • Stone ran for three touchdowns, including an 85-yarder late in the first half.
    — Mike McGraw, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Sebold’s was the third such attack in Thornden Park, which runs alongside the campus, in about seven months.
    — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of run

Browse Nearby Words

fledglings
flee
fleece
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flee. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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