Definitions

on the lam

ADJECTIVE

fugitive

Synonyms

STRONGEST

elusive

STRONG

brief ephemeral flying passing short temporary volatile wandering

WEAK

avoiding errant erratic escaping evading evanescent fleeting flitting fugacious impermanent momentary moving short-lived transitory unstable

Antonyms

STRONG

enduring lasting lengthy long permanent

WEAK

confronting facing

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

on the lam

Monkeys on the lam in St. Louis and AI isn’t helping.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 15, 2026

Robert Redford became a bankable leading man in 1969, when “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” about a pair of outlaws on the lam, turned him into a paragon of the movie star.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025

Or, in this case, that Manchester — on the lam after escaping prison — ends up falling in love with Leigh and being embraced by her family and community.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025

They went on the lam to Chicago, Florida, and Arizona, and points in between.

From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2024

Luke had never thought about this until just now, and it made him laugh, a little too loudly, seeing as he was officially on the lam.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss