Phrase guide

skip town

verb · 2 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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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To abscond from one's place of residence suddenly, without warning.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

  • The suspect skipped town when he found out the police were going to raid his apartment.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

disappear without notifying anyone (idiom)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: take a powder

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disappear, vanish, go away

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 跑路 (pǎolù) — abscond from one's place of residence suddenly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 跑掉 (pǎodiào) — abscond from one's place of residence suddenly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 潛逃 /潜逃 (qiántáo) — abscond from one's place of residence suddenly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 逃匿 (táonì) — abscond from one's place of residence suddenly
  • Finnish: vaihtaa maisemaa — abscond from one's place of residence suddenly
  • German: das Weite suchen — abscond from one's place of residence suddenly
  • German: die Kurve kratzen — abscond from one's place of residence suddenly
  • German: sich aus dem Staub machen — abscond from one's place of residence suddenly
  • German: von der Bildfläche verschwinden — abscond from one's place of residence suddenly