flees

verb

present tense third-person singular of flee
1
as in disappears
to cease to be visible the fog fled with the arrival of the dawn

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in escapes
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation a murderer who fled on foot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in retreats
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening a toddler who fled when the ladybug he had been quietly watching suddenly began flying around the room

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flees Holden eagerly rebels against Pencey Prep, gets the boot, and flees to New York City, a place with its own vices and hazards, but without the sort of propaganda and pretense that obscure the school’s dark underside. — Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026 Ulf’s dragon, Silverwing, flees the scene and lives out the rest of her days as a wild dragon. — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 In Tony, Bourdain not only flees to Provincetown to follow Nancy, but also to escape his challenging relationship with his parents, Gladys and Pierre Bourdain. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 Aug. 2026 In the fairytale, the princess flees to another kingdom for a while to get away from the misery brought on by her father, finding work as a commoner to conceal her identity. — Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026 After desecrating the statue, the vandal returns the hammer to his pocket, scales the fence and flees into the night, the footage shows. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026 When her best friend’s family suddenly flees under suspicious circumstances, taking her away with them, 10-year-old Lucía gathers her gang to launch a plan inspired by their favorite superheroes. — Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026 Dunn, having none of it, stabs Dickie 20 times with a broken liquor bottle–with pants around his ankles, no less–while Alma flees out a window. — Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026 With no idea what's going on, Dylan flees the FBC to find that the Hiss — otherworldly crimson monsters from another dimension — have overrun Manhattan. — George Yang, Space.com, 22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flees
  1. disappears
  2. escapes
  3. retreats
  4. vanishes
  5. flies
  6. fades
  7. runs
  8. bolts
Verb
  • Based on Andrea Mara’s novel, the limited series stars Snook as a mother who must figure out what happened when her young son disappears.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In the time lapse, the setting sun disappears behind the moon as our natural satellite moves directly in front of the star.
    — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of disappears
Verb
  • One of the most iconic New England summer escapes, Nantucket is known for its clapboard cottages (and, sure, mega-mansions), sandy beaches, hydrangeas, and elite charm.
    — Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 9 Aug. 2026
  • When the Delgado family escapes their house, they are surrounded by other, far more hostile creatures.
    — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of escapes
Verb
  • As his mind retreats to the hues of old movies, Charlotte breaks the fog with a glimmer of humanity.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The gunman briefly retreats, then returns to the window and fires inside the restaurant again, injuring a good Samaritan who was trying to help the trooper and render aid to Garibay.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of retreats
Verb
  • If the human vanishes at the moment of execution, then fraud, repudiation, and abuse all become easier to scale.
    — Raj Ananthanpillai, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • He gets brought back into his old life when his FBI agent daughter, Rebecca, vanishes on a mission.
    — Shelby Stivale, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of vanishes
Verb
  • Meanwhile, a team quietly burning tokens on work that moves nothing flies under the radar.
    — Vinay Kuruvila, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • About 200 of those flights are handled by Mercy Air, a for-profit service that flies patients and bills their insurers for the costs.
    — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of flies
Verb
  • Slowing down to test demand, unit economics and operational readiness helps companies avoid costly overexpansion and build growth that lasts after the hype fades.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Many health devices end up forgotten in a drawer after the novelty fades.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of fades
Verb
  • Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group runs both of the Whitney’s two dining outlets.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Liz Eversoll, who runs the skills intelligence company Career Highways, set me straight.
    — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of runs
Verb
  • This episode, Zack wakes up and bolts upright with the bandage still on his head from getting clobbered with a sign on his birthday and can’t remember what happened the night before.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 9 July 2026
  • When spinach bolts, the plant focuses its energy on producing flowers and seeds rather than leaves.
    — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of bolts

Browse Nearby Words

fleeing
flees
fleet
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Cite this Entry

“Flees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flees. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of flees for Spanish Speakers

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