FLEES Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

flees

verb

present tense third-person singular of flee

as in disappears

to cease to be visible the fog fled with the arrival of the dawn

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in escapes

to get free from a dangerous or confining situation a murderer who fled on foot

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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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 Based on the legend of the Chinese goddess Chang’e, this book reimagines and expands the myth to center her daughter, Xingyin, who flees her home and embarks on a bold adventure to save her mother while training in enemy territory. — Chloe Gong, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 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 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

Verb

Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Caitríona Balfe, Kit Connor and Fred Hechinger star as members of a struggling family that begins to unravel after the mother disappears.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
One way to overcome this problem is using quantum teleportation, in which the data essentially disappears from one place and reappears someplace else.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of disappears

Verb

But as Marty Supreme proved last year, debuting after the rest of the competition can also feel a bit like being the lone straggler in a bike race who escapes the cascading crash that takes out everyone else.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
Jordan, who escapes relatively unscathed, is at once cowed and traumatized yet committed to vengeance.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of escapes

Verb

Havelock neither retreats to the closet nor holds out hope for resolution via vigilante justice.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
With the bulk of his work at practice done for the day, Achord retreats to the back of the end zone with Koonz, squatting and scribbling something on paper.

— Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of retreats

Verb

In Figments of Freedom, written, directed by and starring Webber, a Marine goes AWOL, burns his life to ash, and vanishes into America’s fractured heart.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026
For many, August represents the last opportunity to sneak in a summer vacation before the season all too quickly vanishes.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of vanishes

Verb

Delta Air Lines flies direct between Atlanta and Johannesburg and is expected to launch service between Atlanta and Cape Town later this year.

— Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Aug. 2026
Hig flies old Cessna planes into Denver for supplies and makes occasional deliveries to a local Mennonite community led by Aaron (Benedict Wong).

— Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of flies

Verb

Stimulus trickling in Economists expect better growth for the rest of the year, as adverse weather fades and local governments accelerate fiscal spending.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
The sibling drama, meanwhile, rather fades out of view amid these loftier goings-on; the film’s narrative begins to feel devised by the old parlor game Consequences, repeatedly wrenched in erratic new directions.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of fades

Verb

Sebold’s was the third such attack in Thornden Park, which runs alongside the campus, in about seven months.

— Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026
The center runs workshops on how to build air purifiers, how to measure heat and temperature in homes, and teaches solutions for treating those problems.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of runs

Verb

Then, the unit bolts to the van, becoming a secure load that happens to contain a full living suite.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2026
When a company bolts AI on without building it into the way the company works, the company can end up paying a great deal of money for a capability its competitors already share.

— Mohamed Khater, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of bolts

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fleeing

flees

fleet

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“Flees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flees. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of flees

verb

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