escape
/is'keip/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A means of leaving a place or situation, especially a dangerous or unpleasant one: "Escape" can refer to the act of getting free from confinement or control, or the method used to achieve this.
- A temporary distraction from reality or routine: "Escape" also means an activity or form of entertainment that allows you to forget about normal life or problems.
- A leakage or outflow: In technical contexts, "escape" refers to the accidental release of a gas or liquid from a container.
Verb:
- To get free from confinement or control: The most common meaning, to break away from a place or situation where you are held.
- To avoid something unpleasant or dangerous: To succeed in avoiding something undesirable, like a threat or an unpleasant duty.
- To be forgotten or not noticed: To fail to be remembered or to elude someone's notice or understanding.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- The prisoners planned their escape from the jail.
- Reading fiction is my favorite escape from daily stress.
- There was an escape of gas from the main pipe.
Verb:
- The bird managed to escape from its cage.
- He tried to escape his responsibilities.
- Her name escapes me at the moment.
Advanced Usage
"to have a narrow escape": to avoid danger or failure by a very small margin.
- He had a narrow escape when the car swerved and missed him.
"escape one's notice/attention": to not be seen or noticed by someone.
- No detail escapes her notice.
"escape clause": a part of a contract that allows a person or company to avoid doing something in particular circumstances.
- The contract included an escape clause in case of a market downturn.
Variants and Related Words
Escapism (n): the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially through entertainment or fantasy.
- His constant video gaming is a form of escapism.
Escapee (n): a person who has escaped from somewhere, especially prison.
- The police searched for the escapee.
Escape valve (n): a valve that opens automatically to relieve excessive pressure; (figuratively) an outlet for pent-up emotions or energy.
- Exercise acts as an escape valve for his frustration.
Synonyms
- Flee: to run away from a place or situation of danger.
- Evade: to escape or avoid, especially by cleverness or trickery.
- Elude: to avoid or escape from (someone or something) in a skillful or cunning way.
Related Phrasal Verbs
Escape from: to get free from a specific place or situation.
- They escaped from the burning building.
Escape to: to go away to a place for relaxation or to avoid something.
- We need to escape to the countryside this weekend.
Related Idioms
Make good one's escape: to succeed in escaping.
- The thief made good his escape through the back alley.
Escape unscathed: to get away from a dangerous situation without being injured.
- Miraculously, all passengers escaped unscathed from the crash.
Noun
- a valve in a container in which pressure can build up (as a steam boiler); it opens automatically when the pressure reaches a dangerous level
- the discharge of a fluid from some container
- they tried to stop the escape of gas from the damaged pipe
- he had to clean up the leak
- a plant originally cultivated but now growing wild
- a means or way of escaping
- hard work was his escape from worry
- they installed a second hatch as an escape
- their escape route
- an avoidance of danger or difficulty
- that was a narrow escape
- nonperformance of something distasteful (as by deceit or trickery) that you are supposed to do
- his evasion of his clear duty was reprehensible
- that escape from the consequences is possible but unattractive
- an inclination to retreat from unpleasant realities through diversion or fantasy
- romantic novels were her escape from the stress of daily life
- his alcohol problem was a form of escapism
- the act of escaping physically
- he made his escape from the mental hospital
- the canary escaped from its cage
- his flight was an indication of his guilt
Verb
- issue or leak, as from a small opening
- Gas escaped into the bedroom
- flee; take to one's heels; cut and run
- If you see this man, run!
- The burglars escaped before the police showed up
- remove oneself from a familiar environment, usually for pleasure or diversion
- We escaped to our summer house for a few days
- The president of the company never manages to get away during the summer
- be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by
- What you are seeing in him eludes me
- escape potentially unpleasant consequences; get away with a forbidden action
- She gets away with murder!
- I couldn't get out from under these responsibilities
- fail to experience
- Fortunately, I missed the hurricane
- run away from confinement
- The convicted murderer escaped from a high security prison