abscond

verb

ab·​scond ab-ˈskänd How to pronounce abscond (audio)
əb-
absconded; absconding; absconds

intransitive verb

formal
: to depart secretly and hide oneself
He absconded with the stolen money.
absconder noun

Did you know?

In “Take the Money and Run,” a 1976 earworm by the Steve Miller Band, the singer punctuates a song about teenage bandits with the catchy refrain “Go on, take the money and run.” Granted, the song probably wouldn’t have charted had it been titled “Abscond,” but the meaning would have been the same. Abscond is a word most often used in formal writing for when someone is running and hiding from the law, often with cash or other ill-gotten gains. In legal circles it’s used specifically when someone flies like an eagle from a jurisdiction to evade the legal process, as in “absconded from parole.” The history of abscond doesn’t evade scrutiny: it comes from the Latin verb abscondere, meaning “to hide away.” (That word’s root is condere, meaning “to conceal.”) Today, whether some joker absconds by going to the country to bury some treasure or by taking a jet airliner beyond the law’s reach, they are, in essence, hiding themselves away.

Examples of abscond in a Sentence

The suspect absconded to Canada. Several prisoners absconded from the jail.
Recent Examples on the Web So the hospital is detaining him until the bill is paid — a common practice in African medical centers to ensure that debtors don’t abscond. Arlette Bashizi, Washington Post, 5 July 2023 At some point the last of the Morgans absconded, and 26 was chopped into apartments, as Washington Square was on its way to becoming a bohemian den, a protest zone, and, finally, a college campus — a wild retirement for a public space that began as a potter’s field and a military practice ground. Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 21 Apr. 2023 The white middle class absconded to the suburbs in droves, seriously depleting a once munificent tax base. Evan Kindley, The New Republic, 1 Aug. 2023 Investigators are looking for a person who was operating a drone near the Warren County Jail around the exact time Burham absconded, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens revealed Wednesday evening. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 13 July 2023 The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (HKSAR) has a duty to make every effort to bring to justice people who have absconded overseas and allegedly committed offenses under the law, including Hong Kong’s national-security law. WSJ, 9 July 2023 Across the street, the entrance to streetwear store Bait is roped off like a club to keep people from absconding with $1,000 sneakers. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2023 Mobley is alleged to have absconded from authorities in Montana on Sunday while being taken to Michigan to face charges in the 2011 slaying of a 20-year-old woman, who was found fatally shot in the basement of a relative's home, according to officials. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 11 July 2023 Federal prosecutors say Gal Luft, an U.S.-Israeli citizen, absconded while awaiting extradition proceedings following his arrest in February in Cyprus. James Fanelli, WSJ, 11 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abscond.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin abscondere "to conceal, hide," from abs- (variant of ab- ab- before c- and t-) + condere "to put, store up, put away, conceal" — more at recondite

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abscond was in 1652

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near abscond

Cite this Entry

“Abscond.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abscond. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

abscond

verb
ab·​scond ab-ˈskänd How to pronounce abscond (audio)
əb-
: to leave secretly and hide oneself
absconder noun

Legal Definition

abscond

intransitive verb
ab·​scond ab-ˈskänd, əb- How to pronounce abscond (audio)
: to depart secretly : withdraw and hide oneself
specifically : to evade the legal process of a court by hiding within or secretly leaving its jurisdiction
absconded with the funds
abscond from New York
abscond to Canada
absconder noun

More from Merriam-Webster on abscond

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