Phrase guide

escape velocity

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ɪsˈkeɪp vəˈlɒsɪti/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The minimum speed needed to escape the gravitational field of a planet or other body.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: astrophysics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A major breakthrough or milestone; momentum.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the minimum velocity needed to escape a gravitational field

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: speed, velocity

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

61 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سرعة الإفلات — minimum velocity
  • Armenian: երկրորդ տիեզերական արագություն (erkrord tiezerakan aragutʻyun) — minimum velocity
  • Asturian: velocidá d'escape — minimum velocity
  • Basque: ihes-abiadura — minimum velocity
  • Belarusian: другая касмічная скорасць (druhaja kasmičnaja skórascʹ) — minimum velocity
  • Bulgarian: втора́ косми́ческа ско́рост (vtorá kosmíčeska skórost) — minimum velocity
  • Catalan: velocitat d'escapament — minimum velocity
  • Chinese Cantonese: 逃逸速度 (tou4 jat6 cuk1 dou6) — minimum velocity
  • Chinese Mandarin: 逃逸速度 (táoyì sùdù) — minimum velocity
  • Czech: úniková rychlost — minimum velocity
  • Danish: undvigelseshastighed — minimum velocity
  • Dutch: ontsnappingssnelheid — minimum velocity
  • Esperanto: eskapa rapido — minimum velocity
  • Esperanto: fuĝa rapideco — minimum velocity
  • Esperanto: forir-rapideco — minimum velocity
  • Esperanto: liberiga rapido — minimum velocity
  • Estonian: paokiirus — minimum velocity
  • Finnish: pakonopeus — minimum velocity
  • French: vitesse de libération — minimum velocity
  • Galician: velocidade de escape — minimum velocity
  • German: Fluchtgeschwindigkeit — minimum velocity
  • Greek: ταχύτητα διαφυγής (tachýtita diafygís) — minimum velocity
  • Hebrew: מהירות מילוט — minimum velocity
  • Hindi: पलायन वेग (palāyan veg) — minimum velocity
  • Hungarian: szökési sebesség — minimum velocity
  • Icelandic: lausnarhraði — minimum velocity
  • Indonesian: kecepatan lepas — minimum velocity
  • Irish: treoluas éalaithe — minimum velocity
  • Italian: velocità di fuga — minimum velocity
  • Japanese: 宇宙速度 (uchū sokudo) — minimum velocity
  • Japanese: 脱出速度 (dasshutsu sokudo) — minimum velocity
  • Kannada: ವಿಮೋಚನ ವೇಗ (vimōcana vēga) — minimum velocity
  • Kazakh: екінші космостық жылдамдық (ekınşı kosmostyq jyldamdyq) — minimum velocity
  • Latvian: kosmiskais ātrums — minimum velocity
  • Lithuanian: pabėgimo greitis — minimum velocity
  • Macedonian: втора космичка брзина (vtora kosmička brzina) — minimum velocity
  • Malayalam: പലായന പ്രവേഗം (palāyana pravēgaṁ) — minimum velocity
  • Norwegian Bokmål: unnslipningshastighet — minimum velocity
  • Norwegian Bokmål: parabolsk hastighet — minimum velocity
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: unnsleppingsfart — minimum velocity
  • Persian: سرعت گریز (sor'at-e goriz) — minimum velocity
  • Polish: prędkość ucieczki — minimum velocity
  • Portuguese: velocidade de escape — minimum velocity
  • Punjabi: ਇਸਕੇਪ ਗਤੀ (isakep gatī) — minimum velocity
  • Romanian: viteză de eliberare — minimum velocity
  • Russian: втора́я косми́ческая ско́рость (vtorája kosmíčeskaja skórostʹ) — minimum velocity
  • Russian: ско́рость убега́ния (skórostʹ ubegánija) — minimum velocity
  • Serbo-Croatian: друга космичка брзина — minimum velocity
  • Serbo-Croatian: druga kosmička brzina — minimum velocity
  • Slovak: úniková rýchlosť — minimum velocity
  • Slovene: ubéžna hitróst — minimum velocity
  • Spanish: velocidad de escape — minimum velocity
  • Swedish: flykthastighet — minimum velocity
  • Tamil: விடுபடு திசைவேகம் (viṭupaṭu ticaivēkam) — minimum velocity
  • Telugu: పలాయన వేగము (palāyana vēgamu) — minimum velocity
  • Thai: ความเร็วหลุดพ้น (kwaam-reo-lùt-pón) — minimum velocity
  • Turkish: kurtulma hızı — minimum velocity
  • Ukrainian: друга космічна швидкість (druha kosmična švydkistʹ) — minimum velocity
  • Urdu: فراری سمتار — minimum velocity
  • Urdu: اسکیپ ولاسٹی — minimum velocity
  • Uzbek: ikkinchi kosmik tezlik — minimum velocity