flee
flee — verb
1. to get away from a dangerous situation or from a person or animal that might hur
to get away from a dangerous situation or from a person or animal that might hurt you, usually by running
The villagers fled their homes when the floodwaters began to rise.
transitive: flee + place (homes / the country / the city)
A security guard saw two men flee from the bank after the alarm went off.
intransitive: flee from + location
The deer fled into the forest when it caught the scent of the hunters.
flee + into + destination (showing direction)
Lara's cat fled under the sofa during the thunderstorm and would not come out.
- flee in panic
- flee for one's life
- flee the scene
- flee from danger
- flee to safety
- run away
less formal and more general; does not necessarily involve danger
- escape
focuses on successfully getting free from confinement or a threat
- take flight
more literary or dramatic; implies a sudden, urgent departure
Grammar Patterns
flee + noun phrase (place or danger)
flee from + noun phrase (person, animal, or danger)
flee + prepositional phrase (direction or destination)
Usage Note
Frequently used with a place or location as the direct object (flee the scene, flee the city) or with 'from' to specify the threat. The past tense and past participle are 'fled' — do not confuse with 'fly/flew/flown.'
Common Mistakes
2. to leave your home country for another country because your life is in danger, f
to leave your home country for another country because your life is in danger, for example from war, violence, or unfair treatment
Thousands of families fled the country after the civil war broke out.
collocation: flee the country
The journalist fled to a neighbouring country to avoid arrest by the secret police.
flee + to + destination country
Feng's grandparents fled Vietnam by boat in the early 1980s.
flee + [place] + by [means of transport]
Many refugees fled across the border when the fighting reached their village.
flee + across + border
- flee the country
- flee one's homeland
- flee persecution
- flee violence
- flee war
- flee abroad
- flee across the border
- escape
broader meaning; can apply to any threatening situation, not just leaving a country
- seek refuge
emphasises the search for safety rather than the act of leaving
- return
go back to one's home country
- repatriate
be sent back to one's country of origin
Grammar Patterns
flee + country / nation / homeland
flee to + destination country
flee from + country of origin
flee + across / over + border
Usage Note
The direct object is typically a country or region. Unlike 'emigrate,' which suggests a planned, voluntary move, this sense always implies that danger or persecution forced the departure.