Escape Meaning
/ɪˈskeɪp/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo get free; to free oneself.
verbTo avoid (any unpleasant person or thing); to elude, get away from.
Sentence Examples
Have you ever had a narrow escape?
He won't be able to escape from there without a miracle, will he?
They managed to escape from the crowded room through the back door.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The prisoner attempted to ____ from the high-security prison last night.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The prisoners planned a daring ____ through a tunnel they had dug underneath the wall.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English escapen, from Anglo-Norman and Old Northern French escaper ( = Old French eschaper, modern French échapper), from Vulgar Latin *excappāre (“to escape a garment, get out of one's clothing”, literally “to free oneself from one's cape”), from Latin ex- (“out”) + Late Latin cappa (“cape, cloak”). Cognate with escapade. Also doublet of scape.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"sailors that escaped the wreck"
— c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
"In the Southern Region of British Railways, most of the damage was caused by earthslips which blocked one or both roads. Obstructions occurred at 21 places in the London Eastern District, and at 18 places in London Central District. On the other hand, the London Western District escaped comparatively lightly."
— 1958 November 26, “Storm Damage in the Home Counties”, in Railway Magazine, page 746:
"Luiz was Chelsea's stand-out performer, although Ferguson also had a case when he questioned how the £21m defender escaped a red card after the break for a hack at Rooney, with the Brazilian having already been booked."
— 2011 March 1, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Man Utd”, in BBC:
"It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: perhaps out of a desire to escape the gravity of this world or to get a preview of the next; […]."
— 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:
"Quite why a passenger from Reading would choose to reach London via Guildford rather than using Great Western Railway's frequent and fast direct services escapes me - […]."
— 2025 November 26, Philip Haigh, “Just who will be behind GBR's directing mind?”, in RAIL, number 1049, page 56:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The prisoner attempted to ____ from the high-security prison last night.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The prisoners planned a daring ____ through a tunnel they had dug underneath the wall.