English Reference

Word

fled

US/ˈfɫɛd/

UK/flˈɛd/

Definition

v. ran away from a place or a dangerous situation very quickly. It is the past tense of 'flee'.

v. the past tense and past participle of 'flee', meaning to run away from a place or situation of perceived danger. Often implies a sudden or hurried departure.

Examples

“The suspect fled the scene before the police arrived.”

“Thousands of people fled across the border to escape the rising floodwaters and find safety in the neighboring country.”

“As the financial scandal broke, several high-ranking executives fled the country, leaving the remaining board members to face the legal consequences alone.”

Examples

simple

“The suspect fled the scene before the police arrived.”

contextual

“Thousands of people fled across the border to escape the rising floodwaters and find safety in the neighboring country.”

complex

“As the financial scandal broke, several high-ranking executives fled the country, leaving the remaining board members to face the legal consequences alone.”

Usage

The verb can be used transitively (fled the city) or intransitively (fled from the fire).

Pitfall

they fleed the building

they fled the building

The verb 'flee' is irregular; the past tense is 'fled', not 'fleed'.

Real-World Examples

“Across Sudan today, a total of 8.6 million people have fled the war since it began in April 2023.”
UN News · 19 Aug 2026
“He then fled into a underground rail station.”
BBC News · 18 Aug 2026

Collocations

fled the scenefled their homesfled the areafled to the hills

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/fled

English Reference