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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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 For example, if a bank robbery suspect flees in a vehicle and witnesses provide only a description, investigators can search the database for vehicles matching that description. — Gino Vicci, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 The agent then flees into the titular pawn shop as a mob of protesters pursue him. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2026 Cora, the granddaughter of a woman kidnapped from West Africa and sold into slavery, flees her captor’s plantation, plunging her into the book’s alternate steampunk reality where she is pursued by the merciless slave catcher Ridgeway. — David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026 As the dust settles, John flees, but Zoe comes with a gun to finish off Hal in the rubble. — Joe Otterson, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026 Security footage provided by San Diego police shows one of the youths suddenly pull out a gun and open fire on Wilson, who quickly flees, running through a breezeway that leads outside of the station and onto Kettner. — Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026 But that’s not the property’s only claim to fame; the home also appeared in The Undoing, when Grace (played by Nicole Kidman) flees to the beach after her husband (Hugh Grant) goes missing. — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Sep. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flees

Verb

They’re fitted with a cabinet front that matches the rest of your cabinetry, so the fridge or dishwasher practically disappears.

— Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 2026
But before the building disappears, neighbors are finding a way to preserve part of its history.

— Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of disappears

Verb

But even as the characters reflect at length on the virtue of putting themselves out there, their series too often retreats within itself instead.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
Olivia Studio60, Womack Studios, Disney+ A celebrity TV weatherman retreats with his daughter to his estranged father’s olive groves, reopening old wounds.

— Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of retreats

Verb

That’s a good thing, because the Viceroy flies lower than the masts of larger sailboats and much lower than, say, the upper decks of a cruise ship.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Oct. 2026
The company flies to private terminals in Aspen, Colorado; Los Cabos, Mexico; Los Angeles (Van Nuys); Maui; Miami; New York (Westchester and NYC); and West Palm Beach, Florida.

— Debra Kamin, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of flies

Verb

Blacksmith, a startup that runs the infrastructure companies use to test code before it ships, has been valued at $1 billion following a new $66 million funding round led by Sequoia Capital.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
The person runs their fingers over the camera twice, then eats a banana through the mask before walking away.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 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 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of flees

verb

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