fugitive

1 of 2

adjective

fu·​gi·​tive ˈfyü-jə-tiv How to pronounce fugitive (audio)
1
: running away or intending flight
a fugitive slave
a fugitive debtor
2
: moving from place to place : wandering
the fugitive clouds of the skyK. K. Darrow
3
a
: being of short duration
the journalist … is concerned only with the fugitive momentA. L. Guerard
b
: difficult to grasp or retain : elusive
thought is clear or muddy, graspable or fugitiveJ. M. Barzun
c
: likely to evaporate, deteriorate, change, fade, or disappear
dyed with fugitive colors
4
: being of transient (see transient entry 1 sense 1) interest
fugitive essays
fugitively adverb
fugitiveness noun

fugitive

2 of 2

noun

1
: a person who flees or tries to escape: such as
a
: a person who flees a country or location to escape danger (such as war) or persecution : refugee
b
: a person (such as a suspect, witness, or defendant) involved in a criminal case who tries to elude law enforcement especially by fleeing the jurisdiction

called also fugitive from justice

2
: something elusive or hard to find

Did you know?

Fugitive was adopted into English as both a noun and an adjective in the 14th century from the Latin adjective fugitivus, which itself comes from the verb fugere, meaning “to flee.”

Choose the Right Synonym for fugitive

transient, transitory, ephemeral, momentary, fugitive, fleeting, evanescent mean lasting or staying only a short time.

transient applies to what is actually short in its duration or stay.

a hotel catering primarily to transient guests

transitory applies to what is by its nature or essence bound to change, pass, or come to an end.

fame in the movies is transitory

ephemeral implies striking brevity of life or duration.

many slang words are ephemeral

momentary suggests coming and going quickly and therefore being merely a brief interruption of a more enduring state.

my feelings of guilt were only momentary

fugitive and fleeting imply passing so quickly as to make apprehending difficult.

let a fugitive smile flit across his face
fleeting moments of joy

evanescent suggests a quick vanishing and an airy or fragile quality.

the story has an evanescent touch of whimsy that is lost in translation

Examples of fugitive in a Sentence

Adjective As he daydreamed, fugitive thoughts passed through his mind. that fugitive trait called artistic creativity Noun They discovered that he was a fugitive of the law.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Caro-Mena was also served with an out-of-state fugitive warrant for the murder of 45-year-old Alain Garcia Perez, the Louisville Metro Police Department said Tuesday in a statement. Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024 David Hendrick, who oversaw a fugitive apprehension task force assigned to help locate the Crumbleys in the days after the shooting, described the manhunt. Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024 Detectives with the fugitive unit located both teens Thursday, police said. Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 Maine State Police Col. William Ross said Thursday an arrest warrant for fugitive Robert Card has been issued on at least eight counts of murder as the victims are still being identified from a series of mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday night. Greg Norman, Fox News, 26 Oct. 2023 The department’s fugitive unit is pursing leads in hopes of finding Barkley, officials said. Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2024 Authorities charged Dallas McKinney, 19, of Southeast Washington with first-degree murder while armed after he was taken into custody by the D.C. police fugitive unit on Tuesday, officials said in a statement. Clarence Williams, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024 Something more akin to the rebellious and fugitive nature of Just Above Midtown. Essence, 19 Jan. 2024 President Bill Clinton did effectively sell a pardon to the late Marc Rich, then a fugitive financier. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 13 Jan. 2024
Noun
The French-Polish filmmaker, director of such films as Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby and The Pianist, has remained active and productive despite being a fugitive from U.S. justice for more than 40 years. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024 Ghosn is still a fugitive in Lebanon, but he’s also still credited with rescuing Renault from near bankruptcy and then doing the same at Nissan through a powerful alliance that later included Mitsubishi Motors. Diane Brady, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 In at least one instance, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper released a federal fugitive. Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 29 Feb. 2024 Sacramento police say Michael, who had been a fugitive since the shooting at 16th and L streets that killed Grimes and wounded four others, was arrested in Fayetteville, North Carolina, after 19 months as a fugitive. Sam Stanton, Sacramento Bee, 27 Feb. 2024 Cloud and the gang have escaped Midgar as fugitives and are now on the hunt for Sephiroth. Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 22 Feb. 2024 The mysterious fugitive makes a homecoming to her planet Pandora in order to search for the missing daughter of Atlas (Edgar Ramírez). Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024 But for many years, China has generally refused to take back its citizens convicted of U.S. crimes, in part because the United States — out of human rights concerns — has refused to extradite Chinese that Beijing claims are criminal fugitives. Stuart Leavenworth, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 Based in the picturesque French city of Lyon, Interpol serves as a digital bulletin board that helps law enforcement agencies worldwide share information about fugitives and crimes. Jane Bradley, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fugitive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French fugitif, from Latin fugitivus, from fugitus, past participle of fugere to flee; akin to Greek pheugein to flee

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fugitive was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near fugitive

Cite this Entry

“Fugitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fugitive. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fugitive

1 of 2 adjective
fu·​gi·​tive ˈfyü-jət-ˌiv How to pronounce fugitive (audio)
1
: running away or trying to run away
a fugitive slave
2
: lasting a very short time : not fixed or lasting
fugitive thoughts
fugitively adverb

fugitive

2 of 2 noun
1
: a person who runs away or tries to escape
especially : refugee
2
: something that is hard to find
Etymology

Noun

Middle English fugitif, fugitive "one who is running away," from early French fugitif and Latin fugitivus (both, same meaning), from Latin fugitus, past participle of fugere "to run away, flee" — related to centrifugal, refugee

Medical Definition

fugitive

adjective
fu·​gi·​tive ˈfyü-jət-iv How to pronounce fugitive (audio)
: tending to be inconstant or transient
fugitive aches and painsBerton Roueche

Legal Definition

fugitive

noun
fu·​gi·​tive
ˈfyü-jə-tiv
: a person who flees
especially : a person who flees one jurisdiction (as a state) for another in order to elude law enforcement personnel

More from Merriam-Webster on fugitive

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