escape room

noun

plural escape rooms

: a game in which participants confined to a room or other enclosed setting (such as a prison cell) are given a set amount of time to find a way to escape (as by discovering hidden clues and solving a series of riddles or puzzles)

Escape rooms are a game where a group of friends or co-workers get locked into a space to play some puzzles, so they can all win the reward of leaving the room slightly early.

—Nick Douglas

One of the most interesting fusions of digital culture with an older form—in this case, theater—is the escape room, which locks people behind a closed door and asks them to find a way out.

—Chris Suellentrop

also : a place or business where this game is played

This is The Lock Boxx, a new mobile escape room based out of San Luis Obispo County. Customers are "locked" inside the trailer until they can solve the appropriate puzzles and break free.

—Jarod Urrutia

Examples of escape room in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Escapology offers eight escape rooms themed to Scooby-Doo, Batman and other storylines in the former Samba Brazilian steakhouse restaurant location. —Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 19 June 2025

Perfect for birthdays and team building, The Escape Game offers premium escape rooms where fun and excitement await. —Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 June 2025

All of this makes this escape room experience stand out from the others. —Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2025

Try something adventurous like a cooking class, hiking a challenging trail or tackling an escape room together. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2012, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for escape room

• anteroom
• assume
• backroom
• ballroom
• barroom
• bathroom
• bedroom
• boardroom
• bridegroom
• classroom
• cloakroom
• consume

Kids Definition

escape room

noun

: a game in which players confined to a room attempt to escape by discovering hidden clues and solving puzzles or riddles