Meaning & use
abscond
Last updated
UK/əbˈskɒnd/
US/əbˈskɑːnd/
Meaning
verbintransitivelegal
To leave secretly and quickly, especially to escape arrest, custody, debt, or punishment.
Grammar: No object; usually followed by from, with, or to: abscond from custody.
Patterns
- abscond from somewhere
- abscond with something
- abscond to somewhere
The suspect absconded before police arrived at the apartment.
Two shareholders absconded with the company’s emergency funds.
She absconded to a border town while awaiting trial.
Word forms
| third person singular | absconds |
|---|---|
| past tense | absconded |
| past participle | absconded |
| -ing form | absconding |
Common combinations
- abscond from custody
- The prisoner absconded from custody during a hospital transfer.
- abscond with money
- An accountant absconded with money collected for charity.
- abscond before trial
- The defendant absconded before trial and missed every hearing.
- abscond overseas
- Fearing arrest, he tried to abscond overseas using a false passport.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flee
- Broader and less secretive; you can flee danger without planning to hide or avoid justice.
- escape
- Emphasizes getting free from confinement or control; abscond adds secrecy and often wrongdoing.
- bolt
- Informal and quick; suggests a sudden run rather than a planned hidden departure.
Opposites
Word family
- absconder noun
- A person who has absconded.
- absconding noun
- The act of leaving secretly to avoid custody or responsibility.
Practice
Choose the best sentence using “abscond.”
Choose one answer.
Abscond is intransitive and takes from/with patterns: “absconded from the country with the cash.” “Absconded the country” wrongly treats it as transitive, and “absolved” means cleared of blame.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “abscond”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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