egress

1 of 2

noun

1
: a place or means of going out : exit
2
: the action or right of going or coming out

egress

2 of 2

verb

egressed; egressing; egresses

intransitive verb

: to go or come out

Examples of egress in a Sentence

Noun The system lets you lower the truck to ease ingress and egress, and raise it for added ground clearance. Scott Oldham, Popular Mechanics, August 1998
One comprehends how undisturbed he was, and how safe from any danger of interruption, when it is stated that he even carried off a unicorn's horn—a mere curiosity—which would not pass through the egress entire, but had to be sawn in two—a bit of work which cost him hours of tedious labor. Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad, 1880
When she had laid the supper-cloth, the bridge was lowered to give her means of egress, and she withdrew for the night. Charles Dickens, Great Expectations, 1861
The auditorium is designed to provide easy egress in an emergency. the only egress from the nightclub was a dark, narrow stairway to the street below
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Set on a quiet dead-end block, the building would afford exciting opportunities for street-level activations, with a rear alley for additional egress and column-free interiors primed for flexible layouts—all gritty fodder for Zuspan’s savvy reuse. Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 15 Oct. 2024 In Time Bandits, Kevin (Kal-El Tuck), an 11-year-old history buff, finds a time egress in his wardrobe and meets the eponymous crew of expert thieves. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2024
Verb
The fire destroyed nine hundred and eleven homes, and many houses in the region are situated off narrow serpentine roads that make ingress and egress a challenge. Ingfei Chen, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2022 No word on whether the wasp was shot down or managed to safely egress the battlespace. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 3 Jan. 2017 See all Example Sentences for egress 

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Latin egressus, from egredi to go out, from e- + gradi to go — more at grade entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1578, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of egress was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near egress

Cite this Entry

“Egress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/egress. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

egress

noun
ˈē-ˌgres
1
: the act or right of going or coming out
2
: a way out : exit

Legal Definition

egress

1 of 2 noun
1
: the action or right of going or coming out
2
: a place or means of going out or exiting compare ingress

egress

2 of 2 intransitive verb
: to go or come out
Etymology

Noun

Medieval Latin egressus, literally, act of going out, departure, from Latin, from egredi to go out, from e- out + gradi to make one's way

More from Merriam-Webster on egress

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!