escape
B1Neutral to formal. The verb is common across all registers; the noun is also very common.
Definition
Meaning
To break free from confinement, control, danger, or an unpleasant situation.
To avoid something undesirable; to leak or be released unintentionally; to provide temporary relief from reality (e.g., via entertainment); to be forgotten or unrecalled.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
A polysemous word. The physical 'get free' sense is primary and concrete; others (escape blame, gas escapes) are metaphorical extensions. Can imply both a successful act and the attempt itself.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Primarily spelling in derived forms: BrE 'escaping', AmE also 'escaping' (no difference). Noun form identical. In computing contexts, 'escape key/character' is universal.
Connotations
Similar in both variants. Can carry a neutral (escape the heat), negative (escape from prison), or positive (escape to the countryside) connotation depending on context.
Frequency
Equally high frequency in both dialects. No significant usage difference.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
escape (from) + NP (He escaped from prison).escape + NP (She escaped punishment).escape + -ing form (He narrowly escaped being seen).NP + escape + (from) + NP (Three prisoners escaped custody).Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “make a break for it”
- “fly the coop”
- “a close shave”
- “out of the frying pan and into the fire (related consequence)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to avoiding liability, contractual obligations, or market downturns. 'The clause allows them to escape the penalty.'
Academic
Used in psychology (escapism), physics (escape velocity), law (escape clause), and literature (narrative theme).
Everyday
Most common: leaving a boring situation, avoiding chores, getting free from a literal trap. 'We need to escape this city for the weekend.'
Technical
Computing: a key or character indicating the following data is special. Engineering: uncontrolled release of fluid/gas.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- It was a narrow escape from the collapsing building.
- The fire escape was located at the rear of the hotel.
American English
- He had a lucky escape when his car skidded off the road.
- Press the escape key to cancel the operation.
verb
British English
- The prisoner managed to escape from a high-security jail.
- She reads fantasy novels to escape from the dreary weather.
American English
- The prisoner managed to escape (from) a maximum-security prison.
- He plays video games to escape the stress of his job.
adjective
British English
- The exit was blocked, so they looked for an escape route.
- The documentary followed the escape attempt in detail.
American English
- The engineers reviewed the escape hatch design.
- Police found the escape vehicle abandoned a mile away.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The cat escaped from the garden.
- They wanted to escape the cold.
- He escaped from the boring meeting by saying he felt ill.
- There's no escape from the city noise in my flat.
- Despite the security, the activist managed to escape captivity.
- The details of the event had completely escaped my memory.
- The gas had escaped from a tiny fissure in the pipeline, causing a major hazard.
- Her latest novel offers a compelling escape from the mundanity of modern life.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a SCAPed (scaped) landscape you want to 'get out' of and ESCAPE to somewhere better.
Conceptual Metaphor
FREEDOM IS ESCAPE; AVOIDANCE IS PHYSICAL DEPARTURE; FORGETFULNESS IS LEAKAGE ('His name escapes me').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating 'escape' as 'убегать' for non-physical contexts (escape blame ≠ убегать от вины). Use 'избежать'.
- Don't confuse 'escape' (successful/getting free) with 'run away' (focus on the act of fleeing).
- 'Escape notice' is an idiom meaning 'remain unseen/unnoticed', not literally running from a notice.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect preposition: 'escape from' vs. 'escape' (He escaped prison [AmE/common] / He escaped from prison [BrE/precise]).
- Using 'escape' transitively for people: 'They escaped the police' (they got away from) vs. 'They escaped the police car' (they got out of).
- Overusing in lieu of more specific verbs: 'escape' vs. 'evade' (capture), 'avoid' (responsibility).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'escape' used metaphorically?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Both are correct. 'Escape from' emphasizes the location/source (escape from prison). 'Escape' alone is often used transitively (escape prison, escape punishment), especially in American English.
Yes, very commonly. You can escape blame, responsibility, reality, notice, or memory (e.g., 'Your name escapes me').
'Escape' emphasizes the successful result of getting free. 'Flee' emphasizes the action of running away from danger, regardless of the final outcome.
It's a character (often entered via the 'Esc' key or a backslash \) used to signal that the following character(s) should be interpreted differently, not as regular text or code.