fugitive

1 of 2

adjective

fu·gi·tive ˈfyü-jə-tiv

Synonyms of fugitive next

: running away or intending flight

a fugitive slave

a fugitive debtor

: moving from place to place : wandering

the fugitive clouds of the sky—

K. K. Darrow

: being of short duration

the journalist … is concerned only with the fugitive moment—

A. L. Guerard

: difficult to grasp or retain : elusive

thought is clear or muddy, graspable or fugitive—

J. M. Barzun

: likely to evaporate, deteriorate, change, fade, or disappear

dyed with fugitive colors

: being of transient (see transient entry 1 sense 1) interest

fugitive essays

fugitively adverb

fugitiveness noun

fugitive

2 of 2

noun

: a person who flees or tries to escape: such as

: a person who flees a country or location to escape danger (such as war) or persecution : refugee

: 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

: something elusive or hard to find

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

Florida police officers deliver grocery order following arrest of fugitive delivery driver Police officers in Titusville, Florida, fulfill a grocery order after arrested the delivery driver. —

Pilar Arias, Fox News, 1 Apr. 2024 Grandmother is fugitive Four other defendants charged in the original indictment remain fugitives from justice, according to the FBI and Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General. —

Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024 The pair then receive a beyond-the-grave message from Howard instructing them to clear his name, which, of course, sets off a series of explosive adventures as the fugitive cops run for their lives while looking for evidence to exonerate their boss. —

Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 26 Mar. 2024 Bail fugitive recovery agents track down people on bail who have become fugitives. —

Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024 There are high rates of asthma and poor lung function from fugitive dust in this community and across the city. —

Detroit Free Press, 20 Mar. 2024 Though Barbarie was short-lived, the duo opened a series of similarly fugitive clubs, including Barbie, Vena Arteria, Transilvania, and Kaliman. —

Beverly Bryan, SPIN, 14 Mar. 2024 Slater was taken into custody late Friday in Inglewood by members of the LAPD gang and narcotics division and U.S. Marshals’ fugitive task force, according to investigators. —

Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2024 Within hours authorities identified the man as fugitive Kevin Kangethe, a Boston-area man who US investigators said boarded a plane to Kenya shortly after killing his girlfriend. —

Larry Madowo, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024

Noun

Holm said a team of amateur sleuths helped authorities trace the fugitive to a mailing address in Barcelona. —

Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024 The center groups reports into several sections, including fugitives in danger, family abductions, nonfamily abductions, and missing, injured or missing for other reasons. —

Albinson Linares, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024 The month-long trial, set in Switzerland because the two men based their business there, may reveal fresh details about the fugitive, who is suspected of pulling off arguably the biggest financial heist of the 21st century. —

Hugo Miller, Fortune Europe, 2 Apr. 2024 But most of the time, the FBI simply catches a break when the fugitives try to come back to the United States, mainly through Miami International Airport. —

Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024 One of the cases involves three guns purchased in 2020 that ended up in the hands of a wanted fugitive. —

Vernal Coleman, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2024 Early on the morning of April 26, the Union cavalry surrounded the tobacco shed, trapping the fugitives inside. —

Vanessa Armstrong, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 With the exception of Cuba, several foreign countries with U.S. extradition treaties have assisted federal authorities in capturing and returning the Medicare fraud fugitives. —

Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024 Its owner, Wei Huang, fled the country and is now a fugitive, according to the Department of Justice. —

David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 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

See more words from the same century

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Fugitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fugitive. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

fugitive

1 of 2 adjective

fu·gi·tive ˈfyü-jət-ˌiv

: running away or trying to run away

a fugitive slave

: lasting a very short time : not fixed or lasting

fugitive thoughts

fugitively adverb

fugitive

2 of 2 noun

: a person who runs away or tries to escape

especially : refugee

: 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

: tending to be inconstant or transient

fugitive aches and pains—

Berton 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

Last Updated: 13 Apr 2024 - Updated example sentences

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fugitive

adjective

noun

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Synonyms

Examples of fugitive in a Sentence

Word History

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Dictionary Entries Near fugitive

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

Legal Definition