to escape
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to escape
To free oneself by fleeing from imprisonment, a place of confinement, or a dangerous situation.
Dem Häftling gelang es, aus dem Hochsicherheitsgefängnis zu entfliehen.
The prisoner managed to escape from the high-security prison.
'Entfliehen' (to escape) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ent-' often means 'away from' and here strengthens the verb 'fliehen' (to flee). So the prefix always stays connected to the verb.
Er versucht, seiner Vergangenheit zu entfliehen.
He is trying to escape his past.
This verb is always used with the dative. You escape 'jemandem' (someone) or 'etwas' (something).
Die Kinder entflohen dem lauten Lärm auf der Straße.
The children escaped the loud noise on the street.
Since 'entfliehen' (to escape) describes movement or a change of state, the perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein'.
Der Vogel ist aus dem Käfig entflohen.
The bird escaped from the cage.
You can recognize the figurative meaning by the fact that the thing being escaped from is abstract. Concrete places like 'Gefängnis' (prison) or 'Lager' (camp) point to the literal meaning.
Manchmal möchte ich einfach der Realität entfliehen.
Sometimes I just want to escape reality.
In the figurative sense, 'entfliehen' (to escape) is often combined with abstract nouns such as 'dem Alltag' (everyday life), 'der Verantwortung' (responsibility), 'dem Stress' (stress), or 'der Langeweile' (boredom).
Mit einem guten Buch kann man wunderbar dem Alltag entfliehen.
With a good book, you can wonderfully escape everyday life.
to avoid
'vermeiden' and 'entfliehen' both have to do with not wanting to encounter something unpleasant. 'vermeiden' is the normal word when you consciously do not do something or avoid a situation in advance. 'entfliehen' sounds stronger: you free yourself from a dangerous or very stressful situation, often as if fleeing. In a figurative sense, you can also 'entfliehen' a feeling or responsibility. Learners may confuse the words because both express distance from something negative. In practice: use 'vermeiden' for prevention, and 'entfliehen' for escape or strong inner pressure.
Nach einer lauten Woche ist Max für zwei Tage ans Meer entflohen.
After a noisy week, Max escaped to the seaside for two days.
Beim Kochen vermeidet Anna zu viel Salz, weil ihr Vater Bluthochdruck hat.
When cooking, Anna avoids too much salt because her father has high blood pressure.