abscond

American  

[ab-skond] / æbˈskɒnd /

verb (used without object)

• absconds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• absconded,
  past participle,  past
• absconding
  present participle

1. to depart in a sudden and secret manner, especially to avoid capture and legal prosecution.

   The cashier absconded with the money.

   Synonyms:

   bolt, decamp

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abscond British  

/ əbˈskɒnd /

verb

1. (intr) to run away secretly, esp from an open institution or to avoid prosecution or punishment

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Usage

What does abscond mean? Abscond means to leave secretly and suddenly, especially to avoid being caught, punished, or put on trial. The word typically implies that someone has left because they have done something wrong and want to avoid any consequences. Criminals abscond to get away with their crimes. A more informal term for abscond is make one’s getaway. Abscond is often followed by the word with and the thing that the person has absconded with, such as the things they’ve stolen, as in It’s too late—he’s already absconded with the diamond!In a legal context, abscond is often used to mean that someone has left to avoid prosecution or legal proceedings that have already begun. Abscond is sometimes used in a humorous way to liken someone to a criminal, as in Jeff absconded with the rest of the doughnuts or The dog absconded with my cheeseburger. A person who absconds can be called an absconder or an abscondee. Example: The thieves absconded with the loot before the authorities arrived at the scene.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• absconder
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• absconding
  present
• absconded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• abscond
  simple
• absconds
  simple
• have absconded
  perfect
• has absconded
  perfect
• am absconding
  progressive
• are absconding
  progressive
• is absconding
  progressive
• have been absconding
  perfect progressive
• has been absconding
  perfect progressive

Past

• absconded
  simple
• had absconded
  perfect
• was absconding
  progressive
• were absconding
  progressive
• had been absconding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will abscond
  simple
• will have absconded
  perfect
• will be absconding
  progressive
• will have been absconding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of abscond

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin abscondere “to hide or stow away,” equivalent to abs- abs- + condere “to stow” ( con- con- + -dere “to put”; see do ¹)

Explanation

Abscond is to escape, often taking something along. As a kid, you may have absconded from your lemonade stand — with the coffee can of cash in hand, and your bewildered sister still filling cups for your customers. Abscond is generally used to describe someone running from law or capture, and the word abscond has been in use since the early 16th century — running away and hiding being nothing new. Dogs who get off the leash and dart into the woods are not necessarily absconding; they are simply making a break for it. On the other hand, the Ponzi schemer who went to live in the South of France with his client's money? He absconded.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

abscond absconds absconded absconding

But two reliably fine veterans all but abscond with the show.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

His house was encumbered with liens and he’d sold a “prop plane” that prosecutors cited when arguing he was a risk to abscond, Maitia said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025

It’s a far cry from the sleek criminals of streaming series, who seldom budge from their computers and abscond with millions and billions thanks to a few clicks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2025

Miss Powell was awaiting specialist treatment, and was known for previous attempts to abscond.

From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2024

“I’m walking Maya to first period. Unless, of course, you want to abscond with her?”

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

She said the rate of absconds was "coming down substantially", with 57 cases in the year ending March 2025 compared to 143 in the year ending March 2020.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026

Eve absconds and takes one of her husband’s favorite possessions, a small Renoir painting.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 9, 2023

As excellent as Alikhan’s staging has been throughout, Majok absconds without having to commit herself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2022

In beta decay, he speculated, a second, unseen particle emerges with the electron and absconds with a random fraction of the energy.

From Science Magazine ● Jun. 29, 2017

“Because some boys when they absconds, makes mistakes, and takes what isn’t theirs.”

From The Story of Antony Grace by George Manville Fenn

Khalife, who sparked a nationwide manhunt when he absconded from the London prison, was sentenced to 14 years and three months for spying for Iran after a 2024 trial.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Crypto firms are racing to backstop the industry’s biggest decentralized lender after North Korea-linked hackers absconded with $190 million from the platform.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

While some of their teammates flew back from Eswatini's neighbour, South Africa, the seven are said to have absconded.

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2026

“If this data has been absconded or downloaded, you could perpetuate fraud against every single government system in existence much more easily than at any time in our history.”

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 4, 2026

Cora spoke of her mother, Mabel, who absconded one day and left her to the inconstant mercy of the world.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

In the 1940s, for example, he sets out to collect scrap iron for the war effort and ends up absconding with a private collection of military memorabilia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

But was it an egregious, personal error, akin to Totenberg stealing into Alito’s hotel room and absconding with an internal organ, as it has been widely treated?

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

When police filed the initial charges in 1992, six of the accused - who were only convicted last week - were left out because they were absconding.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2024

Wright suggested that defense attorneys wanted him free “likely to facilitate his absconding from the United States.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2024

In addition to absconding with twenty-five thousand dollars and giving Milton false hopes of my return, Father Mike was abandoning his own family.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides