flee
Etymology

From Middle English flen, from Old English flēon, from Proto-Germanic *fleuhaną, from Proto-Indo-European *plewk-, *plew- ("to fly, flow, run").

Cognate with Dutch vlieden, German fliehen, Icelandic flýja, Swedish fly, Gothic 𐌸𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽. Within English, related to fly and more distantly to flow.

Pronunciation Verb

flee (flees, present participle fleeing; simple past and past participle fled)

  1. (intransitive) To run away; to escape.
    The prisoner tried to flee, but was caught by the guards.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Proverbs 28:1 ↗:
      The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bolde as a lyon.
  2. (transitive) To escape from.
    Many people fled the country as war loomed.
    Thousands of people moved northward trying to flee the drought.
  3. (intransitive) To disappear quickly; to vanish.
    Ethereal products flee once freely exposed to air.
Related terms Translations Translations Translations


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