getaway
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
A rapid escape.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
gehtuhwaySay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɡɛtəweɪ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A rapid escape (as by criminals)
“The thieves made a clean getaway.”
informal
A vacation or holiday, or the destination for one.
The effecting of an escape.
A means of escape.
adjective
Pertaining to an escape, as in a vehicle or plans.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A rapid escape (as by criminals)
Used this way, getaway is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The thieves made a clean getaway.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use getaway
- “The thieves made a clean getaway.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.