Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for escape hatch. Search instead for escape+rhythm.
Synonyms

escape hatch

American  

noun

  1. a hatch used for emergency escape, as from a submarine or aircraft.

  2. a means of avoiding a troublesome situation; a ready or handy way out.

escape hatch British  

noun

  1. a means of escape in an emergency, esp from a submarine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of escape hatch

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While the mechanics may be complicated, the upshot for savers is clear—anyone worried about declining saving account rates now has an escape hatch.

From Barron's • Dec. 11, 2025

Nor is resignation an escape hatch for most military officers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

Red warning lights flash above the door, and inside there is an emergency escape hatch into a tunnel in case something goes wrong.

From BBC • Jul. 17, 2025

I think the defense still has one largely overlooked escape hatch: the arcane legal instructions for deciding the felony charges.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2024

She opened a half door, like an escape hatch, and slid through it.

From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.