escapade

noun

es·​ca·​pade ˈe-skə-ˌpād 

: a usually adventurous action that runs counter to approved or conventional conduct

Did you know?

When it was first used in English, escapade referred to an act of escaping or fleeing from confinement or restraint. The relationship between escape and escapade does not end there. Both words derive from the Vulgar Latin verb excappare, meaning "to escape," a product of the Latin prefix ex- and the Late Latin noun cappa, meaning "head covering or cloak." While escape took its route through Anglo-French and Middle English, however, escapade made its way into English by way of the Spanish escapar ("to escape") and the French escapade.

Synonyms

• antic
• caper
• capriccio
• dido
• frolic
• gag
• jest
• knavery
• monkeyshine(s)
• practical joke
• prank
• rag [chiefly British]
• roguery
• shavie [Scottish]
• shine(s)
• trick
• waggery

Examples of escapade in a Sentence

As a teenager he embarked on a series of ill-advised escapades.

their escapades at the prep school became the stuff of boarding-school legend

Recent Examples on the Web

Concepts of drag comedy and nonbinary people held a different sort of weight, and the cross-dressing escapades in the movie, as two hapless male musicians flee the mob by donning dresses and joining an all-women band, didn’t hold the same sort of comedic sway. —Chad Jones, The Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2025

So the shot design and the way that Rob and Jarin create tension through the movie is really magical as a filmmaking escapade. —Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2024

The track resonates with Belinda’s crystalline vocals, dynamic guitar riffs, and spirited trumpet interplays, while Tito’s distinctively gruff delivery adds grit to their musical escapade. —Ingrid Fajardo, Billboard, 17 Jan. 2025

Bored by his revolving door of escapades, Lucien decides to take Caroline up on her offer. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, action of escaping, from Spanish escapada, from escapar to escape, from Vulgar Latin *excappare

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

escapade

noun

es·​ca·​pade ˈes-kə-ˌpād 

: a mischievous adventure