escapade

noun

es·​ca·​pade ˈe-skə-ˌpād 

: a usually adventurous action that runs counter to approved or conventional conduct

Did you know?

When it was first used in English, escapade referred to an act of escaping or fleeing from confinement or restraint. The relationship between escape and escapade does not end there. Both words derive from the Vulgar Latin verb excappare, meaning "to escape," a product of the Latin prefix ex- and the Late Latin noun cappa, meaning "head covering or cloak." While escape took its route through Anglo-French and Middle English, however, escapade made its way into English by way of the Spanish escapar ("to escape") and the French escapade.

Synonyms

• antic
• caper
• capriccio
• dido
• frolic
• gag
• jest
• knavery
• monkeyshine(s)
• practical joke
• prank
• rag [chiefly British]
• roguery
• shavie [Scottish]
• shine(s)
• trick
• waggery

Examples of escapade in a Sentence

As a teenager he embarked on a series of ill-advised escapades.

their escapades at the prep school became the stuff of boarding-school legend

Recent Examples on the Web

After the incident, Tangie said that she's applied Zoe's Target escapade to encourage her daughter to figure out her schoolwork. —Marina Watts, People.com, 6 Oct. 2024

Though these particular lonely escapades begin at a long-term care facility, they are not limited to any one space, with this existential dramedy often beguiling on world-building alone. —Ben Croll, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2024

There, Eno and his three male friends engage in the sort of mindless time-killing escapades familiar to any teen. —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024

Still, even Rodriguez and Jeter get in on the escapades sometimes, with Jeter offering to buy a box of Wheaties with Rodriguez on it for $19.99. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, action of escaping, from Spanish escapada, from escapar to escape, from Vulgar Latin *excappare

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

escapade

noun

es·​ca·​pade ˈes-kə-ˌpād 

: a mischievous adventure