n.
Pronunciation: is- ' k ā p, es-, dial iks- ' k ā p
Function: verb
Inflected Form: es · caped ; es · cap · ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French escaper, eschaper, from Vulgar Latin *excappare, from Latin ex- + Late Latin cappa head covering, cloak
Date: 13th century
intransitive verb
1 a : to get away (as by flight) < escaped from prison> b : to issue from confinement <gas is escaping > c of a plant : to run wild from cultivation
2 : to avoid a threatening evil <the boat sank but the crew escaped >
transitive verb
1 : to get free of : break away from < escape the jungle> < escape the solar system>
2 : to get or stay out of the way of : AVOID <efforts to escape poverty>
3 : to fail to be noticed or recallable by <his name escape s me>
4 a : to issue from <a smile escaped me> b : to be uttered involuntarily by <a sigh of relief escaped her>
– es · cap · er noun
synonyms ESCAPE , AVOID , EVADE , ELUDE , SHUN , ESCHEW mean to get away or keep away from something. ESCAPE stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent <nothing escapes her sharp eyes>. AVOID stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty <try to avoid past errors>. EVADE implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding < evaded the question by changing the subject>. ELUDE implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes <what she sees in him eludes me>. SHUN often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence <you have shunned your responsibilities>. ESCHEW implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful <a playwright who eschews melodrama>.