flown the coop
Left without notice
Flown the coop means to have left or escaped, especially suddenly or secretly.
The expression references chickens escaping from their enclosure and typically implies leaving a place where one was expected to stay.
It often suggests evasion or departure without permission: By the time the police arrived, the suspect had already flown the coop.
The phrase can also describe someone who has simply moved away or moved on: All three kids have flown the coop, so we're downsizing.
- escapedGot away from confinement
- abscondedDeparted secretly, furtively
- flew the nestLeft parental home permanently
- runawayOne who flees
- cut looseRelease from restraint
cage · jailbreak · departed · freedom · fugitive · fled · skip town · vanished · gone missing · left · on the lam · gone · out of sight · breakout · roost · empty nest · hit the road · nest
flown the coopstayed put
Continued in place
remained · stayed · stuck around · stayed behind · hung around
flown the coopkept in
Held and not released
locked up · penned in · cooped up · confined · held captive