Abscond
To depart secretly or flee, especially to avoid detection or arrest.
verbAbscond
To depart secretly or flee, especially to avoid detection or arrest.
verbImagine This
Ab's kitchen has many boxes of ice cream cones. Mysteriously, the cones disappear all the time. Ab says, 'I just don't know where my cones have gone; maybe they have legs? They just depart secretly. It is weird!'
Sounds Like
ab-SKOND
Looks Like
looks like 'abs' + 'cond' (the word visually splits into two familiar parts).
Remember This
Abscond is commonly used to describe someone fleeing, often to escape legal trouble or pursuit; it's not about simply leaving a place.
Other Forms
Connect With
flee, escape, decamp, bolt, evade
Note
Do not confuse abscond with 'absent' (not present) or 'abstain' (to refrain). Abscond means to leave secretly, typically to avoid being found.
Study Deeper
- The thief absconded with the jewels before dawn.
- The accountant absconded to avoid facing charges and never returned.
From Latin abscondere 'to hide away', formed from ab- 'away' + condere 'to put, store'.
Abscond sounds like 'absent cone'—imagine Ab's cone suddenly disappearing; an absent cone is one that absconds.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abandon
verbTo give up completely, to desert or leave behind, or to relinquish a claim, plan, or responsibility.
Abate
verbTo decrease in amount or intensity; to reduce or end something.
Abolish
verbTo formally end or repeal a system, practice, or institution; to officially put an end to something established.
Abridge
verbTo shorten (a text, speech, or other work) by omitting parts; to condense.
Absolve
verbTo free someone from blame or responsibility; to pardon or exonerate.
Absorb
verbTo take in or soak up something (such as liquid, information, or attention); to engross or occupy someone.