flee
To run away from danger.
flee in a sentence
- The rabbits had to flee to their burrow the moment the fox appeared at the edge of the field.
- When the sprinklers burst on suddenly, the picnickers had to flee across the park with their sandwiches.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to flee?
- Aescape
- Bstay
- Cface
- Dremain
Show the answer
A: escape. The other three mean the opposite of flee.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to flee?
- Astay
- Bescape
- Crun
- Dbolt
Show the answer
A: stay. The other three mean nearly the same as flee.
Words that mean something similar
escape, bolt, run
Words that mean the opposite
stay, remain, face
Careful: flee is not retreat
Flee is running away in a panic. Retreat is stepping back, often by choice. Read why children mix them up.
More words about movement & action
- fleet: Fast and nimble in movement.
- flinch: To make a small, sudden movement because of pain, fear or surprise.
- forage: To search for food in the wild.
- frolic: To play and jump about happily.
- fumble: To handle something clumsily or keep dropping it.
- gingerly: Very carefully and gently, so that nothing goes wrong.
- glide: To move smoothly and quietly, without any effort.
- grapple: To wrestle or struggle with something difficult.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test