Meaning & use
vamooses
Last updated
“vamooses” is a form of “vamoose”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbintransitiveinformalold-fashioned
Leaves a place quickly, especially to avoid trouble or because it is time to go.
Grammar: No object; you vamoose from somewhere, not vamoose something.
Patterns
- vamoose from somewhere
- let's vamoose
The guard spotted us, so we vamoosed through the back gate.
It's almost midnight — let's vamoose before the last train goes.
He vamooses every Friday at four and nobody can find him.
Word forms
| base form | vamoose |
|---|---|
| third person singular | vamooses |
| past tense | vamoosed |
| past participle | vamoosed |
| -ing form | vamoosing |
Common combinations
- vamoose out of somewhere
- They vamoosed out of the party as soon as the police arrived.
- let's vamoose
- Come on, let's vamoose — this place is closing.
- vamoose quickly
- She vamoosed quickly when she saw her ex.
Synonyms and how they differ
- leave
- The neutral, everyday word; use it in ordinary writing where 'vamoose' would sound jokey.
- run off
- Focuses on running away, often secretly, while 'vamoose' just means leaving fast.
- clear off
- British and informal, often rude as a command; 'vamoose' is more playful.
Opposites
Word family
- vamoose verb
- The base form, used in the same informal way.
Commonly confused: vamooses or moose?
vamooses vs moose
A moose is a large deer-like animal; 'vamoose' is a verb meaning to leave quickly, and the two are unrelated despite the similar sound.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'vamooses' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Vamoose' is intransitive, so it takes no object and is followed by 'from' to show the place — as in option 1. The other options either give it an object or use the wrong form for the subject or tense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vamooses”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.