flee /fliː/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle fled /fled/) [intransitive and transitive] written
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: flean ]
to leave somewhere very quickly, in order to escape from danger:
His attackers turned and fled.
Masaari spent six months in prison before fleeing the country.
flee to/from/into
Many German artists fled to America at the beginning of World War II.
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THESAURUS
▪ escape to leave a place when someone is trying to catch you or stop you, or when there is a dangerous situation:
The thief escaped through an upstairs window.
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She managed to escape from her attacker and call the police.
▪ get away to escape from someone who is chasing you, especially when there is no chance that you will be caught. Get away is more informal than escape :
The robbers got away but left plenty of clues at the scene.
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Don’t let him get away!
▪ break free/break away to escape from someone who is holding you:
She broke free and started running.
▪ flee written to leave somewhere very quickly in order to escape from danger:
Many people were forced to flee the country.
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The two men fled before police arrived.
▪ get out to escape from a building or room:
I was locked in the room and couldn’t get out.
▪ break out to escape from prison:
The jail is so secure that no one has ever broken out of it.
▪ abscond formal to escape from a prison or institution where you are supposed to stay:
Three prisoners who absconded have still not been found.
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He absconded from a psychiatric hospital.