lam
n. uncountable C2 Proficiency US //ˈɫæm// UK //lˈæm// lam
n. a situation where someone is running away or hiding, usually from the police. You often hear this in old movies about criminals.
n. a state of flight or concealment, typically to evade legal authorities or capture. Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'on the lam'.
The bank robber has been on the lam for three weeks.
After escaping from the local precinct, the suspect remained on the lam by hiding in a series of safe houses.
The protagonist spends the final act of the novel on the lam, navigating a landscape of paranoia where every stranger represents a potential informant for the state.
Usage
Almost exclusively used in the idiomatic phrase 'on the lam'.