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"
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"
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 unwanted 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
issue or leak, as from a small opening; "Gas escaped into the bedroom"
run away from confinement; "The convicted murderer escaped from a high security prison"
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"
a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly); "sailing is her favorite pastime"; "his main pastime is gambling"; "he counts reading among his interests"; "they criticized the boy for his limited pursuits"
primary social group; parents and children; "he wanted to have a good job before starting a family"
people descended from a common ancestor; "his family has lived in Massachusetts since the Mayflower"
a social unit living together; "he moved his family to Virginia"; "It was a good Christian household"; "I waited until the whole house was asleep"; "the teacher asked how many people made up his home"
(biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more genera; "sharks belong to the fish family"
an association of people who share common beliefs or activities; "the message was addressed not just to employees but to every member of the company family"; "the church welcomed new members into its fellowship"
the action of following in order; "he played the trumps in sequence"
a group of people or things arranged or following in order; "a succession of stalls offering soft drinks"; "a succession of failures"
(ecology) the gradual and orderly process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established