1
as in to disappear
to cease to be visible
the fog fled with the arrival of the dawn
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to escape
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
a murderer who fled on foot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to retreat
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
a toddler who fled when the ladybug he had been quietly watching suddenly began flying around the room
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flee
When a harrowing incident forces Wash to flee, he is thrust into a globe-spanning adventure that challenges and reshapes his understanding of family, freedom, and love.
—
Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 30 June 2025
Cuomo, pushing back on Mamdani’s proposals, claimed that the tax hikes would prompt many rich people and businesses to flee, thereby undermining the city’s tax base.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Rising gang violence then led thousands of ordinary Salvadorans to flee to the United States.
—Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 30 June 2025
The near fatal crash occurred as the NYPD clamped down on cops chasing vehicles fleeing car stops.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flee
Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 30 June 2025
Cuomo, pushing back on Mamdani’s proposals, claimed that the tax hikes would prompt many rich people and businesses to flee, thereby undermining the city’s tax base.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Rising gang violence then led thousands of ordinary Salvadorans to flee to the United States.
—Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 30 June 2025
The near fatal crash occurred as the NYPD clamped down on cops chasing vehicles fleeing car stops.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flee
Verb
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While the boldest headlines tell how people are literally snatched off the streets, are being disappeared to foreign prisons, news that often receives less attention reveals that our civil liberties are also being snatched up, one by one.—
Michael Pfleger,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2025
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The man formerly known as Robert Prevost has somewhat disappeared ...—
Michael Brendan Dougherty,
National Review,
29 June 2025
Verb
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Police on Friday captured one of the New Orleans parish inmates who escaped six weeks ago in a jailbreak Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called the worst in recent state history.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
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There is nothing inherently better about Rowling’s magic that would lead its users to escape the loss of a personal sense of accomplishment—or knowledge, skills, or tactility—and as the novels show, the threat of overuse looms as greatly over their existence as our own.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
Verb
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Groups of demonstrators retreated to nearby streets, only to cut back and regroup near the Stonewall Inn and Christopher Park.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
24 June 2025
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Many analysts believe Iran will retreat, reassemble its nuclear scientists and rebuild its program.—
Kristina Karisch,
The Hill,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Record heatwaves, vanishing ice and billion-dollar disasters are reshaping how risk is modeled and priced.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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The little girl doesn’t understand why her mother vanished and had hoped her mother would be at her graduation, said Camerino Gomez, Pineda’s fiance.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
Verb
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The mission is flying to the orbiting lab in a brand-new SpaceX Dragon and will spend about two weeks up there, during which time the crew will conduct about 60 different scientific experiments.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
25 June 2025
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The administration eventually flew him back, but immediately detained him on criminal charges.—
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán,
NPR,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
Once the uncertainty begins to fade, capital returns more quickly than most anticipate.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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The red measurement markings also have a tendency to fade over time, especially with frequent dishwasher use.—
Francesca Krempa,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 June 2025
Verb
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And this double-U structure is bolted to a square base that sits on a rotating support for 360-degree horizontal swivel.—
Paul Ridden
June 25,
New Atlas,
25 June 2025
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While legacy automakers outsource software and tech firms try to bolt autonomy onto third-party hardware, Tesla owns the entire autonomy stack.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Verb
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His installation is called The Jewel of Mayfair, and features a carpet that runs the length of the arcade, nearly 560 feet, featuring stones and designs from each chapter of his 50-year career.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
1 July 2025
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The family at the heart of the story run a tourism business allowing Cappadocia to feature in a way that naturally chimes with the narrative, but the connection between landscape and plot runs far deeper, series director Murat Saraçoğlu says.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flee. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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