Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To leave quickly and secretly and hide oneself, often to avoid arrest or prosecution.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To retire from public view, or from the place in which one resides or is ordinarily to be found; depart in a sudden and secret manner; take one's self off; decamp; especially, to go out of the way in order to avoid a legal process.
- To hide, withdraw, or lie concealed: as, “the marmot absconds in winter,” Ray, Works of Creation.
- Synonyms Escape, retreat, flee, run away, make off.
- To conceal.
Wiktionary
- v. To hide; to withdraw; to be concealed :
- v. To depart secretly; to steal away, particularly to avoid arrest or prosecution :
- v. To withdraw from, to leave from; to hide from :
- v. To hide [something], to conceal [something]; to take away [something] :
- v. To hide; to withdraw; to be concealed :
- v. To depart secretly; to steal away, particularly to avoid arrest or prosecution :
- v. To withdraw from, to leave from; to hide from :
- v. To hide [something], to conceal [something]; to take away [something] :
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To hide, withdraw, or be concealed.
- v. To depart clandestinely; to steal off and secrete one's self; -- used especially of persons who withdraw to avoid a legal process.
- v. To hide; to conceal.
WordNet 3.0
- v. run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along
Etymologies
- Latin abscondere, to hide : abs-, ab-, away; see ab-1 + condere, to put; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“After some more lingering chatting, a few more chance encounters, and at least one, "Here, hold this sign that says 'Hi Shann' and let me get a picture, please?" we were prepared to abscond from the premises.”
“Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has echoed Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's agent Arnold Oosterveer, who insists his client will not abscond from the Italian club amid reports Liverpool are working on a loan deal for him.”
“Is more likely to "abscond" - the entire colony leaves the hive and relocates - in response to repeated intrusions by the beekeeper.”
“Officially, immigration detention is not supposed to be used as punishment; the immigration agency can only detain immigrants in order to more easily deport them, so that they don't "abscond" and evade removal.”
“Some are not being well-managed as there is massive speculation and price manipulation, while some have their shareholders directly taking part in transactions, which has led to the embezzlement of clients' funds and prompted some managers to abscond, the statement said, without naming specific companies or individuals.”
The Wall Street Journal: Beijing Cracks Down on Trading Houses
“Paul Michael Barrett Austin may seem quiet, but he's been secretly cooking the books in order to abscond with a large amount drawn from the regional office's bank account.”
The Huffington Post: George Heymont: Strangers in Strange Lands
“You know the food is really good when a bunch of foodies are devising clever ways to abscond with a whoopie pie after an epic 20-dish meal.”
“Satisfied, the cop went off to collect, leaving Thurston and his wife to abscond.”
The Washington Post: Jim Steinmeyer's "The Last Greatest Magician in the World"
“Some theorize they were moved for safekeeping, though 19th-century guidebooks suggest vandals attempted to abscond with the precious metal fragments only to succumb to the volcanic ash and lava.”
“I have no intention to abscond," Mr. Jethmalani said on why Ms. Kanimozhi shouldn't be arrested.”
The Wall Street Journal: Hearings Resume in Indian Telecom Case
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘abscond’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 1051 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( etymology )
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 837 more...
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Things Foxes Do
Behaviors you might expect from a character in Fantastic Mr Fox.
abscond, outwit, fox, ransack, turn tables, dig, sneak, vixens, baffle, tatterdemalion, aboiement, sneckdraw and 1 more...
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Verbages
puddle, kowtow, tessellate, defalcate, embezzle, enkindle, ablate, frivol, moonlight, tongue-tie, gobble, pettifog and 1 more...
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Words to use more often
incommensurable, squalid, sordid, abscond, deranged, sagacity, enthralling, noctivagant, imperturbable, slither, sycophantic, ineffable and 2 more...
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my gre list
its my gre word lists
abeyance, aberr, abash, abide, abhor, abject, abjure, ablution, abode, abolish, abominable, aboriginal and 19 more...
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words to remember
loquacious, decorous, bombastic, impetuous, pedantic, cantankerous, abscond, sagacity, chiaroscuro, histrionic, mincing, maverick
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a-, ab-, abs-
from; off; away; down
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Secrets
those sly words
yarb I think that must be a Wordie Pro feature, my friend. Nov 14, 2011
Prolagus Have you noticed how many lists the word is in, yarb? Nov 14, 2011
kingparton Clerks abscond, partners cut their throats, balance sheets won't add up, accounts are cooked.
Bessie Raynor Parks, "The Land of Gossip" Nov 12, 2011
yarb Was just about to say how surprised I am that this word has been listed so many times... Jul 23, 2009
madmouth "It appears that Lord Waffle has absconded with the silverware" Apr 13, 2009
artoparts See: absquatulate. Oct 3, 2008
rolig Excellent! Too bad, there's no typographical way to convey all the spittle flying around with these words. Mar 11, 2008
yarb Best citation I've seen in ages.
N.b. surprising how popular this word is. Mar 11, 2008
ofravens That quote just made my night. Thanks, Prolagus. Mar 11, 2008
Prolagus Insulting my integrity, eh, Fatso? Insinuating I'd flee this flea-bitten dump, eh, Fatso? Intimating I'd abscond with your financial remunerations, eh, Fatso?
(Daffy Duck, in Porky Pig's Feat, 1943) Mar 11, 2008