Meaning & use
escape clause
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Meanings
nouncountablelegalbusiness
A section of a contract or agreement that lets one side withdraw or avoid a duty if stated conditions arise.
Grammar: Usually takes a: the contract has an escape clause.
Patterns
- an escape clause in something
- an escape clause for someone
The lease includes an escape clause that lets you leave if you lose your job.
Our lawyer insisted on an escape clause in case the supplier missed its deadlines.
The player's contract had an escape clause allowing him to join a bigger club.
nouncountablefigurative
Any condition or loophole that someone can use to avoid keeping a promise or rule.
Grammar: Used figuratively outside contracts: the pledge came with an escape clause.
Patterns
- leave an escape clause
- use an escape clause
The politician's promise had an escape clause hidden in the small print.
She said she would attend, but with an escape clause: if the weather turned bad, she would stay home.
Word forms
| plural | escape clauses |
|---|
Common combinations
- include an escape clause
- We asked them to include an escape clause in the agreement.
- invoke the escape clause
- The buyer invoked the escape clause after the inspection.
- a built-in escape clause
- The deal had a built-in escape clause in case funding fell through.
- an escape clause in the contract
- There is an escape clause in the contract after the first year.
- rely on an escape clause
- The company relied on an escape clause to cancel the order.
Synonyms and how they differ
- loophole
- A loophole is a gap that nobody planned, while an escape clause is written into an agreement on purpose.
- get-out clause
- Get-out clause is the common British phrase for the same thing and sounds more informal.
- exemption
- An exemption excuses someone from a rule altogether, whereas an escape clause lets them leave an agreement under certain conditions.
- opt-out
- An opt-out is a right to decline taking part, and it is not always tied to specific circumstances as an escape clause is.
Opposites
Word family
- escape verb
- to get away from something unwanted
- clause noun
- a numbered or separate part of a legal document
- escapable adjective
- possible to avoid
- inescapable adjective
- impossible to avoid
Commonly confused: escape clause or claws?
escape clause vs claws
Claws are an animal's sharp nails and sound the same as clause in many accents, but they are unrelated to contracts.
Practice
The tenant could leave early without penalty because the lease contained an ______.
Choose one answer.
An escape clause is a contract term allowing withdrawal. An escape route is a physical way out, so it does not fit a lease.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “escape clause”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.