flee

B2 Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /fliː/ See IPA manual

Homophones

flea /fliː/

Minimal pairs

Sounds like free /l/ vs /r/

verb Freq #6193

Meanings

1

verb
To run away quickly, especially from danger.

The prisoner tried to flee, but the guards caught him.
2

verb
To escape from a place or situation.

Many people fled the country as war approached.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to run away quickly,... run for it

More abscond absquatulateamscraybolt gnashhightailjumpnamousrabbit scamperscarperscat

Word family

Forms fledfleeingfleesfleeth

Derived forms befleeeverfleeingfleeablefleeroutfleeunfleeing

Related forms abandon flight flow fly

Etymology

From Middle English flen, from Old English flēon, from Proto-West Germanic *fleuhan, from Proto-Germanic *fleuhaną, from Proto-Indo-European *plewk-, *plew- (“to fly, flow, run”). Cognate with Dutch vlieden, German fliehen, Icelandic flýja, Swedish fly, Gothic 𐌸𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽 (þliuhan). Within English, related to fly and more distantly to flow.

*plewk- Proto-Indo-European flen Middle English flēon Old English *fleuhan Proto-West Germanic *fleuhaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction

# flee

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** fliː
**Frequency rank:** 6193

## Meanings
1. To run away quickly, especially from danger.
2. To escape from a place or situation.

## Examples
- The prisoner tried to flee, but the guards caught him.
- Many people fled the country as war approached.

## Synonyms
- abscond
- absquatulate
- amscray
- bolt
- gnash
- hightail
- jump
- namous
- rabbit
- scamper
- scarper
- scat

## Derived Forms
- beflee
- everfleeing
- fleeable
- fleer
- outflee
- unfleeing

## Related Forms
- abandon
- flight
- flow
- fly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *plewk-
- Root: flen
- Root: flēon
- Root: *fleuhan
- Root: *fleuhaną

## Etymology
From Middle English flen, from Old English flēon, from Proto-West Germanic *fleuhan, from Proto-Germanic *fleuhaną, from Proto-Indo-European *plewk-, *plew- (“to fly, flow, run”). Cognate with Dutch vlieden, German fliehen, Icelandic flýja, Swedish fly, Gothic 𐌸𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽 (þliuhan). Within English, related to fly and more distantly to flow.

## AI Etymology
Flee comes from Middle English flen, from Old English flēon, from Proto-West Germanic *fleuhan, from Proto-Germanic *fleuhaną, from Proto-Indo-European *plewk-, *plew- (“to fly, flow, run”). Cognate with Dutch vlieden, German fliehen, Icelandic flýja, Swedish fly, Gothic 𐌸𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽 (þliuhan). Within English, related to fly and more distantly to flow. In current use, the main senses are “To run away quickly, especially from danger” and “To escape from a place or situation”.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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flee

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