flee

verb

ˈflē 

fled ˈfled  ; fleeing

intransitive verb

1

a

: to run away often from danger or evil : fly

The family fled from the war-torn zone.

b

: to hurry toward a place of security

Refugees fled to a neighboring country.

c

law : to evade arrest, detention, or prosecution

2

: to pass away swiftly : vanish

mists fleeing before the rising sun

transitive verb

: to run away from

fled the scene of the accident

Many people fled the city to escape the fighting.

Synonyms of flee

• disappear
• vanish
• fade
• fly

Examples of flee in a Sentence

The family fled from Nazi Germany to Britain in 1936.

He was accused of trying to flee the scene of the accident.

Many people fled the city to escape the fighting.

He was forced to flee the country.

Recent Examples on the Web

In Comfort, a group of 42 relatives who had gathered for their family’s 40th annual reunion fled a riverside hotel on Thursday morning, CNN affiliate KENS reported. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 17 July 2026

Kingsbury argued that Payton fled for his life firing behind him on 10th Street as bullets whizzed and ricocheted past; and argued Payton’s return fire was not responsible for the deaths of the three women. — Darrell Smith july 16, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026

Police arrested a man Wednesday on suspicion of a felony hit-and-run resulting in death and gross vehicular manslaughter for allegedly running over a man who was trying to stop him from fleeing the site of a vehicle collision, authorities said. — Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 16 July 2026

The officers, who were traveling two to a government vehicle, turned on their police lights and attempted to pull over the van when the men fled, conducting a U-turn and hopping a median to get away, according to Reitz. — Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 16 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English flen, from Old English flēon; akin to Old High German fliohan to flee

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing flee

• leave/flee the nest

Rhymes for flee

• be
• bee
• bree
• cree
• fee
• flea
• free
• gee
• ghee
• glee
• he
• ki

Kids Definition

flee

verb

ˈflē 

fled ˈfled  ; fleeing

1

a

: to run away often from danger or evil : fly

b

: to run away from : shun

2

: to pass away swiftly : vanish

the mist fled before the rising sun