ENGLISH
REFERENCE

escape

v. · n.
US //ɪˈskeɪp// UK //ɛskˈeɪp// es·cape
  1. 1 to get free (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to get away from a place where you are being held, like a prison or a cage.

    to break free from confinement or control. Intransitive in its primary physical sense.

    Example

    The tiger managed to escape from its enclosure during the storm.

    Example

    Several prisoners attempted to escape through a ventilation shaft, but they were apprehended before reaching the outer perimeter.
  2. 2 to avoid something (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to avoid a dangerous or unpleasant situation.

    to elude or avoid an undesirable outcome or person. Transitive, taking the avoided entity as a direct object.

    Example

    She was lucky to escape the car accident without any injuries.

    Example

    The company narrowly escaped bankruptcy by securing a last-minute loan from a private equity firm.
Show 5 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 to be forgotten (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    when you cannot remember a name or a fact at the moment you need it.

    to elude the memory or notice of someone. The subject is typically the forgotten information, and the object is the person.

    Example

    I know her face well, but her name escapes me right now.

    Example

    The subtle nuances of the contract seemed to escape the junior lawyer's attention during the initial review.
  2. 4 computing (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    to tell a computer to treat a special character as a normal letter.

    to use a specific character to signal that the following character should be interpreted literally rather than as a command.

    Example

    You need to escape the quote marks in your code so it doesn't crash.

    Example

    The developer had to escape the backslash characters within the string to ensure the file path was parsed correctly by the operating system.

    Usage

    Usually involves prefixing a character with a backslash.

  3. 5 act of getting free (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the act of getting away from a dangerous or bad situation.

    the act or an instance of breaking free from confinement or danger.

    Example

    The hikers made a narrow escape when the forest fire started.

    Example

    The daring escape from the high-security facility became the lead story on every national news network that evening.
  4. 6 relaxation (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a way to forget about your problems or your busy life for a while.

    a distraction or diversion from reality or routine. Often used in the context of entertainment or travel.

    Example

    Reading science fiction is a great escape from my stressful job.

    Example

    For many city dwellers, a weekend in the mountains provides a necessary escape from the relentless pace of urban life.
  5. 7 leakage (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Science

    when a gas or liquid accidentally flows out of a container.

    the physical leakage or outflow of a substance from a container or system.

    Example

    The technicians detected a small escape of gas from the main pipe.

    Example

    The safety valve is designed to allow the controlled escape of steam if the internal pressure exceeds a specific threshold.
Origin

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.

Idioms1 entry

© 2026 English Reference