1
as in flees
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
everyone managed to escape from the burning building in time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in evades
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery
a judge who is very determined not to let criminals escape punishment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in breaks
the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement
a daring prison escape
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 escapes
Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2026
Austin escapes the clinic through the ceiling and calls Eunice from a cab to the police station.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
The moving drama revolves on a young boy, the film’s titular character, who escapes the bombing of his southern Iranian village in which his family is killed.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
The team, meanwhile, escapes by beaming the Stargate aboard to gate out before returning via the second gate.
—Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Known for archaeological marvels and seaside escapes, millions of tourists visit Albania for its rich history and culture.
—Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2026
South Korea has seen other high-profile zoo escapes in recent years, including a zebra that was found wandering the streets of Seoul for several hours in 2023 before being caught.
—Reuters, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
Abdul escapes with the help of a motorcycle gang.
—Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
Weekend camping trips, spontaneous road adventures, and digital detox escapes have become part of the modern California lifestyle.
—New Atlas, 7 Apr. 2026
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
Choose between coastal escapes like Florida's Key West or mountain retreats like Bryson City, North Carolina, to soak up scenic Southern landscapes.
—Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2026
Visitors to the Old Idaho Penitentiary in Boise can explore a former prison with a history of escapes, crime and reported ghostly encounters.
—Nathan Diller, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
There is a genre-bending western; two stories blend speculative details with realism to portray women planning their escapes; three stories spec-ify the only-daughter experience; and one story flirts with where to begin.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Here are six ingenious escapes throughout history.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Marland plans to install a mesh top over the kangaroo enclosure to prevent future escapes.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Alongside other elite operators like Ponant and Aqua Expeditions, not to mention private yachts hosting fewer than 15 guests — the bar for truly top-shelf nautical escapes is rising fast.
—Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
According to the Global Wellness Institute, travelers are seeking active escapes as a way to reduce stress, reconnect with a sense of community, and pursue personal growth through self-challenge.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
Farm stays are far from new, but travelers are showing a resounding new interest in rural, back-to-the-land escapes.
—Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2026
Austin escapes the clinic through the ceiling and calls Eunice from a cab to the police station.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
The moving drama revolves on a young boy, the film’s titular character, who escapes the bombing of his southern Iranian village in which his family is killed.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
The team, meanwhile, escapes by beaming the Stargate aboard to gate out before returning via the second gate.
—Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Known for archaeological marvels and seaside escapes, millions of tourists visit Albania for its rich history and culture.
—Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2026
South Korea has seen other high-profile zoo escapes in recent years, including a zebra that was found wandering the streets of Seoul for several hours in 2023 before being caught.
—Reuters, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
Abdul escapes with the help of a motorcycle gang.
—Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
Weekend camping trips, spontaneous road adventures, and digital detox escapes have become part of the modern California lifestyle.
—New Atlas, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
Over 29 years, according to the Bureau of Prisons, 36 men attempted 14 separate escapes.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
Choose between coastal escapes like Florida's Key West or mountain retreats like Bryson City, North Carolina, to soak up scenic Southern landscapes.
—Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2026
Visitors to the Old Idaho Penitentiary in Boise can explore a former prison with a history of escapes, crime and reported ghostly encounters.
—Nathan Diller, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
There is a genre-bending western; two stories blend speculative details with realism to portray women planning their escapes; three stories spec-ify the only-daughter experience; and one story flirts with where to begin.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Here are six ingenious escapes throughout history.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Marland plans to install a mesh top over the kangaroo enclosure to prevent future escapes.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Alongside other elite operators like Ponant and Aqua Expeditions, not to mention private yachts hosting fewer than 15 guests — the bar for truly top-shelf nautical escapes is rising fast.
—Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
According to the Global Wellness Institute, travelers are seeking active escapes as a way to reduce stress, reconnect with a sense of community, and pursue personal growth through self-challenge.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escapes
Verb
-
Searchlight is in development on Lottery, a Permut Presentations drama about a young man with Down syndrome who, after winning the lottery, flees his estranged mother and hits the road with a charming new friend who has ulterior motives of her own.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Following a violent outburst from Robert, Nancy gets in her car and flees in the last scene of the episode.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mr Cobra evades most classification from there, blending free jazz, musique concrète, ’00s pop, house, industrial techno, and air horns, interlaced with dialogue snipped from Korean folk operas and experimental films.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
-
But even if Booker’s appearance evades the FCC’s scrutiny, the commission is closely watching TV talk programs, with The View in particular a subject of interest.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Without any workplace oversight, the baristas did the obvious, padding their breaks by ten, fifteen, twenty minutes.—
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The breaks kept coming for Orlando.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Vertical flies under an arrangement that has been accumulating evidence toward certification for three years.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The National Guard unit flies F-16 Fighting Falcon jet aircraft.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rideshare and taxis are widely available too, but light rail avoids the post-match traffic gridlock.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
-
Charles, who is the British head of state but not the head of government, typically avoids politics in public.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Today guests come not from Rome as the Cité’s founders did, but from across France, northern Spain (the border is just two hours away), England (there are direct Ryanair flights to Carcassonne’s small airport), as well as the US.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The soldiers trained on both the Bumblebee V1, a small, first-person-view drone that has seen thousands of combat flights in Ukraine, and the newer Bumblebee V2, which has automatic target recognition specifically meant to counter other drones and which has not been deployed yet.—
Eleanor Watson,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
High school football in La Jolla this week was a tale of two routs — one on the positive side and the other not so much.—
La Jolla Light,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Let the home routs and the Albertsons Stadium invincibility continue.—
Jim Keyser,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Enid Mayor David Mason said rescues were made for residents who were trapped in their homes by debris.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The current law has fueled an explosion in the community cat population in Costa Mesa that has put a strain on rescues such as Priceless Pets, which the city has an agreement with, advocates say.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Escapes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escapes. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
