abscond

Abscond means to leave secretly and suddenly, especially to avoid being caught, punished, or put on trial.

The word typically implies that someone has left because they have done something wrong and want to avoid any consequences. Criminals abscond to get away with their crimes. A more informal term for abscond is make one’s getaway.

Abscond is often followed by the word with and the thing that the person has absconded with, such as the things they’ve stolen, as in It’s too late—he’s already absconded with the diamond!

In a legal context, abscond is often used to mean that someone has left to avoid prosecution or legal proceedings that have already begun.

Abscond is sometimes used in a humorous way to liken someone to a criminal, as in Jeff absconded with the rest of the doughnuts or The dog absconded with my cheeseburger.

A person who absconds can be called an absconder or an abscondee.

Example: The thieves absconded with the loot before the authorities arrived at the scene.

The first records of the word abscond come from around the 1600s. It comes from the Latin verb abscondere, meaning “to hide or stow away.”

After a person absconds, they usually go into hiding. In fact, the noun abscondence means hiding, especially to avoid the consequences of one’s wrongdoing. Sometimes, abscond means much the same thing as escape, especially when it’s used in the context of a prisoner absconding from a prison or jail.

What are some other forms related to abscond?

• absconder (noun)
• abscondee (noun)
• abscondence (noun)

What are some synonyms for abscond?

• make one’s getaway
• slip away
• steal away
• decamp
• bolt
• escape

What are some words that often get used in discussing abscond?

• criminal
• crime
• with
• steal
• stolen
• court
• trial
• prison

Abscond is typically used in the context of crimes or actions that are humorously likened to crimes.

Symphony and Thompson went back and forth over where the money ended up. Thompson claimed that he sent the money to a third party as part of his process to acquire the bitcoin for the Irish company. Symphony claimed he had “absconded with the funds”.https://t.co/efchCuFck5

— The Currency (@thecurrency) October 23, 2020

in the dark knight the newspaper says wayne “absconds” with the ballet troupe, a word that would never be in a real headline.

— olive scott (@oscottlive) April 6, 2020

Ah yes cats. The apex predator with superior hunting skills at the top of the food chain. Mine just absconded with half my jimmy johns sandwich.

— the voting ghost of wade boggs (@stopthistrain28) October 27, 2020

Is abscond used correctly in the following sentence?

The defendant absconded right before the trial was set to begin.