flee

[ flee ]
See synonyms for: fleefledfleeing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),fled [fled], /flɛd/, flee·ing.
  1. to run away, as from danger or pursuers; take flight.

  2. to move swiftly; fly; speed.

verb (used with object),fled, flee·ing.
  1. to run away from (a place, person, etc.).

Origin of flee

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English fleen, Old English flēon; cognate with Old High German flichan (German fliehen ), Gothic thliuhan; compare Old English fleogan “to fly”; see also fly2

Other words for flee

Other words from flee

  • outflee, verb (used with object), out·fled, out·flee·ing.
  • un·flee·ing, adjective

Words that may be confused with flee

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How to use flee in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for flee (1 of 2)

flee1

/ (fliː) /


verbflees, fleeing or fled
  1. to run away from (a place, danger, etc); fly: to flee the country

  2. (intr) to run or move quickly; rush; speed: she fled to the door

Origin of flee

1
Old English flēon; related to Old Frisian fliā, Old High German fliohan, Gothic thliuhan

Derived forms of flee

  • fleer, noun

British Dictionary definitions for flee (2 of 2)

flee2

/ (fliː) /


verb
  1. a Scot word for fly 1

noun
  1. a Scot word for fly 2

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012