First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
1escape
verb es·cape \is-ˈkāp, es-, dial iks-ˈkāp\
: to get away from a place (such as a prison) where you are being held or kept
: to get away from a dangerous place or situation
: to get away from something that is difficult or unpleasant
es·capedes·cap·ing
Full Definition of ESCAPE
intransitive verb
1
a : to get away (as by flight) <escaped from prison> b : to issue from confinement <gas is escaping> c of a plant : to run wild from cultivation
2
: to avoid a threatening evil <the boat sank but the crew escaped>
transitive verb
1
: to get free of : break away from <escape the jungle> <escape the solar system>
2
: to get or stay out of the way of : avoid <efforts to escape poverty>
3
: to fail to be noticed or recallable by <his name escapes me>
4
a : to issue from <a smile escaped me> b : to be uttered involuntarily by <a sigh of relief escaped her>
— es·cap·er noun
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Origin of ESCAPE
Middle English, from Anglo-French escaper, eschaper, from Vulgar Latin *excappare, from Latin ex- + Late Latin cappa head covering, cloak
Related to ESCAPE
Synonym Discussion of ESCAPE
escape, avoid, evade, elude, shun, eschew mean to get away or keep away from something. escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent <nothing escapes her sharp eyes>. avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty <try to avoid past errors>. evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding <evaded the question by changing the subject>. elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes <what she sees in him eludes me>. shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence <you have shunned your responsibilities>. eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful <a playwright who eschews melodrama>.
Rhymes with ESCAPE
2escape
noun
: an act of escaping from a place, situation, etc.
: a way of escaping from a place, situation, etc.
: an occurrence in which an amount of liquid or gas passes out through a hole or crack in a container
Full Definition of ESCAPE
1
: an act or instance of escaping: as a : flight from confinement b : evasion of something undesirable c : leakage or outflow especially of a fluid d : distraction or relief from routine or reality
2
: a means of escape
3
: a cultivated plant run wild
See escape defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of ESCAPE
14th century
3escape
adjective
Definition of ESCAPE
1
: providing a means of escape <escape literature>
2
: providing a means of evading a regulation, claim, or commitment <an escape clause in a contract>
First Known Use of ESCAPE
1817
ESCAPE[2] Defined for Kids
1escape
verb es·cape \i-ˈskāp\
es·capedes·cap·ing
Definition of ESCAPE for Kids
1
: to get away : get free or clear <Everyone escaped from the burning building.>
2
: to keep free of : avoid <She managed to escape injury.>
3
: to fail to be noticed or remembered by <The name escapes me.>
4
: to leak out <Gas is escaping from the tank.>
Word History of ESCAPE
Picture a person who is held by a cape or cloak. The person may be able to slip out of the garment and so escape from the captor. The word escape is based on such a picture. The word escape came from an Old French verb escaper or eschaper. This word in turn came ultimately from the Latin words ex, “out of,” and cappa, “head covering, cloak.”
2escape
noun
Definition of ESCAPE for Kids
1
: the act of getting away <a narrow escape>
2
: a way of getting away <… there was no escape except up the cliff. — Jack London, The Call of the Wild>
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