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to escape from

to escape from

137 2.7
To get away from a person, place, or situation that causes trouble
  • phrasal verb
  • /ɪˈskeɪp frʌm/
translation icon : escapar de
  • After days of hiding, she was finally able to escape from her pursuers in the dark alley.
  • attempt to escape from
  • escape from prison
  • try to escape from

That's what I was escaping from when I left Miami.

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Examples

  • Four months later, hundreds escaped from a center and marched around calling for freedom.

    Academic text (2012)
  • You never tell us how you escaped from that jail in Paris.

  • I had to escape from jail!

  • You can escape from it whenever you choose.

  • But at least one of them will work and we will escape from this pandemic and its consequences.

  • So his parents had to escape from a country with hyperinflation.

  • It's nearly five years since you escaped from Treadmore.

  • The chimp managed to escape from the enclosure one day.

  • In 1997, 300,000 juvenile and adult salmon escaped from a single Washington State salmon farm.

    Academic text (1999)
  • She helped Theseus to escape from the maze of the Minotaur.

Synonyms

to get out of here
vsto escape from
  • Informal
3.0

Leave a place quickly or suddenly

is often used for sudden leaving but lacks the focused sense of avoiding pursuers
to escape
vsto escape from
1.0

To get away from a place where you are kept or are in danger

is identical but is used with an added word showing what one leaves
to go away
vsto escape from
709 1.0

To leave a place or person and go somewhere else

is more specific to avoiding pursuers or unwanted situations than simple departure
to flee
vsto escape from
331 2.4

To run away from a place because it is dangerous

is similar but also covers leaving non-urgent or non-physical situations
to retreat
vsto escape from
235 4.0

To move back from a place or plan to avoid danger

is typically more urgent and immediate rather than planned withdrawal
to get away
vsto escape from
165 3.0

To escape from people who are holding you, often by force

is broader, covering avoiding pursuit or unwanted situations as well as confinement
to run away
vsto escape from
93 1.1

To become difficult to control or stop, for example prices

is about leaving pursuers or avoiding unwanted situations rather than losing control
to run away from
vsto escape from
  • Informal
92 2.9

To avoid dealing with a problem or responsibility

is the more physical act of leaving a pursuer or danger, not mere avoidance
to elude
vsto escape from
83 5.8

To escape someone or fail to be understood

is focused on leaving someone who pursues or avoiding unwanted situations
to evade
vsto escape from
52 4.4

To get away from someone or something by being clever and tricky

is less about trickiness and more about leaving directly
to break out
vsto escape from
51 3.6

To get free quickly from a place or situation, often from captivity

is broader, covering avoiding pursuers or unwanted people as well as confinement
to shake off
vsto escape from
41 3.6

Make something unwanted go away, like an illness, a feeling, or a person following you

is about leaving pursuers or danger rather than removing an influence
to extricate
vsto escape from
22 7.6

Free a person or thing from something that traps them

is often about helping someone out of difficulty, not personal flight from threat
to break free from
vsto escape from
11 4.1

To escape limits or control and become independent

is more about avoiding danger or pursuers rather than gaining independence
to abscond
vsto escape from
  • Formal
11 8.5

To leave quickly and secretly with money or things to avoid being caught

is broader, applying to leaving to avoid pursuers or unwanted situations, not only secret flight
to break loose
vsto escape from
8 3.9

To force yourself free from a place or person

is broader, also covering avoiding pursuit and unwanted situations
to get out of Dodge
vsto escape from
  • Informal
7 9.2

Leave a place quickly to avoid trouble or danger

is the neutral term for avoiding pursuit or unwanted situations
to bolt from
vsto escape from
  • Informal
5 5.8

To leave a place suddenly and unexpectedly

is similar but usually refers to a sudden action without aiming to avoid someone
to break away
vsto escape from
5 3.6

To escape suddenly from control, capture, or a group

is similar but can apply to leaving to avoid danger, not only separation
to exfiltrate
vsto escape from
  • Specialized
1 9.9

To secretly move people or things out of an area controlled by enemies

is the general act of leaving danger, not limited to secret or military operations

Antonyms

310 4.1

Face someone directly in an angry or challenging way to accuse them

How Successful

to escape from
137 2.7
to flee
331 2.4
to pull away
86 3.5

Surface Forms

escape from infinitive
escaped from past participle
escaping from present participle
escapes from third person singular

Morphology

escape + from

The meaning is directly and transparently composed from 'escape' (to get away) plus the preposition 'from' (indicating origin/source), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer 'to get away from someone or something'. This verb + from pattern is a regular compositional structure in English (and parallels exist in many languages), making both literal and extended avoidance senses predictable.

Etymology

Escape from makes you picture someone slipping out of a locked room or running past a guard to get away from a person chasing them. So it now means 'to get away from' or 'to avoid' someone or a situation you do not want.