Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An adventurous, unconventional act or undertaking.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The fling of a horse, or a fit of flinging and capering about.
  • noun A capricious or freakish action; a wild prank; a foolish or reckless adventure.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The fling of a horse, or ordinary kicking back of his heels; a gambol.
  • noun Act by which one breaks loose from the rules of propriety or good sense; a freak; a prank.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A daring or adventurous act; an undertaking which goes against convention.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
  • noun any carefree episode

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, a trick, an escape, from Old French, from Old Spanish escapada (from escapar, to escape) or from Old Italian scappata (from scappare, to escape), both from Vulgar Latin *excappāre, to escape; see escape.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French escapade ("the act of escaping; a trick"), from Old Spanish escapada, from escapar ("to escape"), from Vulgar Latin *excappō (“to escape”).

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Examples

  • The escapade is part of a contest sponsored by Groupon. com, the online promotion company that's picked up 13 million subscribers since July 2009 by partnering with vendors.

    Ten Tips From The Man Who Lives Without Money Zack O'Malley Greenburg 2010

  • The escapade is part of a contest sponsored by Groupon. com, the online promotion company that's picked up 13 million subscribers since July 2009 by partnering with vendors.

    Ten Tips From The Man Who Lives Without Money Zack O'Malley Greenburg 2010

  • The escapade is part of a contest sponsored by Groupon. com, the online promotion company that's picked up 13 million subscribers since July 2009 by partnering with vendors.

    Ten Tips From The Man Who Lives Without Money Zack O'Malley Greenburg 2010

  • This shameless escapade is just more evidence that Kitna is a brazen, swashbuckling cowboy with no regard for his fellow non-cowboys.

    BWE SPORTS: There’s Nothing Funny About a Coach Pulling Into A Wendy’s Drive-Thru Naked | Best Week Ever 2007

  • A Wall Street Journal editorial called the escapade "One Last Whale Hunt for Captain Jack," and portrayed Welch "handcuffing himself to the credenza" in a scene worthy of "I Love Lucy."

    Not The Retiring Kind 2008

  • Tuck's companions in this escapade were a native Swiss named Horace de Pourtalès and a naturalized Swiss of U.S. origin named Frederick Bates.

    Jim Tuck's homepage, biography and published works 2006

  • Tuck's companions in this escapade were a native Swiss named Horace de Pourtalès and a naturalized Swiss of U.S. origin named Frederick Bates.

    Jim Tuck's homepage, biography and published works 2006

  • The only reminiscences of his escapade were a few cuts in his coat, which went unnoticed, and the precious book of notes, to which he applied himself with such vigour in the watches of the night, with a surreptitious candle and a hamper of apples as aids to study, that, though tired next day, he managed to do quite well enough in the exam, to pass muster.

    The Pothunters 1928

  • It was once attempted by a madcap party of guests to discover the locality of the secret chamber, by hanging their towels out of the window, and thus deciding in favour of any window from which no spotless banner waved; but this escapade, which is said to have been ill-received by the owners, ended in nothing but a vague conclusion that the old square tower must be the spot sought.

    Glamis Castle 1921

  • The only person who knew of her escapade was the coachman, an old family servant of the Comte, as discreet as death.

    The Belovéd Vagabond William John Locke 1896

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