emergency exit
- noun
- /ɪˈmɜrdʒənsi ˈɛksɪt/
- In case of fire, everyone should know where the nearest emergency exit is located.
- emergency exit door
- nearest emergency exit
- find the nearest emergency exit
Examples
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It's not a good idea to block an emergency exit, you know, in case of a fire or something.
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Austin and Vanessa drive a Dr. Evil golf cart down a brightly lit, narrow corridor to a doorway marked "Emergency Exit."
Fiction book (1997) -
And I know where every emergency exit is on this floor.
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Make your way to the nearest emergency exit.
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As the door swept shut, she read, "Emergency Exit Only. Alarm Will Sound."
Fiction book (2000) -
Had there been at least one emergency exit outside the factory, the casualties would have been much lower.
Blog text (4) -
For your own safety, make sure you know where the emergency exits are at all times.
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There's an emergency exit to the street that way.
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Please note the locations of emergency exits upon arrival.
Blog text (4) -
She burst out of the emergency exit and ran across the lawn and sidewalk.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
An exit like a door that you use to leave a place
An opening or way that lets people leave a place
A staircase or metal ladder on the outside of a building used to get out during a fire
A way to leave a building or room
A small door in a vehicle or building that lets people get out quickly in an emergency
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a door or route used in case of emergency' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'emergency' (a sudden incident requiring immediate action) with 'exit' (a way out). This straightforward, compositional noun–noun combination is cross-linguistically common and follows normal English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
Emergency exit comes from the picture of a marked door for quick escape: emergency means sudden danger and exit means a way out, so the phrase names a door you use to leave fast. That's why it means a special door or stairway for 'escape' and 'safety' in a fire or other danger.