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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flee
Huck was fleeing his abusive alcoholic father, and Jim was seeking freedom.
—
Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 31 May 2026
For Castellanos, a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, who immigrated from El Salvador with his family after fleeing the country's civil war, the event also reflects the community that welcomed him.
—Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 31 May 2026
When the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum opened in 2007, its main purpose was to tell the stories of the more than 20,000 Jewish refugees who fled Europe in the 1930s for Shanghai.
—Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2026
The deputies returned fire as Puckett allegedly fled the scene, Kemp said.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for flee
Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 31 May 2026
For Castellanos, a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, who immigrated from El Salvador with his family after fleeing the country's civil war, the event also reflects the community that welcomed him.
—Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 31 May 2026
When the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum opened in 2007, its main purpose was to tell the stories of the more than 20,000 Jewish refugees who fled Europe in the 1930s for Shanghai.
—Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2026
The deputies returned fire as Puckett allegedly fled the scene, Kemp said.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for flee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flee
Verb
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As America marks the 82nd anniversary of D-Day on Saturday, a group of women whose wartime labor helped sustain the Allied war effort gathered in New Orleans to remember a generation that is rapidly disappearing.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
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At the Union the meat is still cut in-house and aged on a band saw, a practice Boyd says has all but disappeared elsewhere.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Mission Viejo right fielder Riley Campbell collected her third hit in the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate but Herrera escaped another jam to spark a celebratory dogpile.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
31 May 2026
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There's no doubt that when temperatures start to rise and approach 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the only way to survive is to find places with fans or air conditioning, or, if possible, escape to the beach or pool to cool off.—
Marilú Almaguer,
Glamour,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Luna and Lee both believe frustration will die down by November about trash fees and Balboa Park parking, which the City Council retreated on by agreeing to a complex deal last month.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2026
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To their credit, the Wayans don’t entirely retreat from controversy.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The immediacy of personal experience will vanish.—
Kevin Maurer,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
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Reeves noted Connecticut will become just the second state to commit state dollars this year to replace vanishing federal SNAP support.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Starship and Blue Moon both have a ways to go before NASA will certify the vehicles to fly astronauts, so any time lost on that front by Blue Origin could further narrow NASA's options and increase the risk of setbacks to the agency's lunar landing timeline.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
3 June 2026
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To better understand the challenges Blue Origin now faces, Ars spoke with several SpaceX veterans who experienced the AMOS-6 failure and worked the long days afterward to get the Falcon 9 rocket flying and rebuild the shattered facility at Space Launch Complex-40.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
Verb
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While desirable homes still sell quickly, frenzied bidding wars have faded.—
Sara B. Hansen,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
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Deadheading Is Another Form Of Pinching Back Deadheading is similar to pinching back, but it is done once the flowers begin to fade.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
Verb
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On top of that, the bodywork is a central cover bolted down with rivet-type fasteners.—
Utkarsh Sood
June 05,
New Atlas,
5 June 2026
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At the same time, the number of new hires and layoffs both tumbled after bolting higher in March; and voluntary quits fell to their lowest level in nearly six years, an indication of workers’ slipping confidence in the labor market.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
Verb
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My father was running the skid steer outside, clearing the snow, leaving dirty white mounds to either side of the driveway that led from the house out to the range road.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) will advance to the general election to run America’s second-most-populous city, the Associated Press projected early Wednesday, as Republican reality TV star Spencer Pratt led the challengers vying to compete against her in November.—
Hannah Knowles,
Washington Post,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flee. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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