on the lam
Evading the authorities
On the lam means fleeing, especially from law enforcement.
Someone who escapes custody or flees before arrest is on the lam: He's been on the lam since jumping bail in 2019.
The phrase suggests active evasion rather than simply being wanted—hiding out, moving around, staying off the grid.
Longed for
- outlawFugitive from justice
- escapeeOne who fled confinement
- runawayOne who flees
- absconderOne who flees secretly
manhunt · hideout · alias · disguise · incognito · untraceable · bounty · APB
Depart swiftly from threat
- boltThreaded rod for nuts
- abscondFlee to avoid capture
- hightailDepart with urgency
- skedaddleDepart hastily, often fearfully
dash · sprint · scramble · getaway · escape · run · split · vamoose
wanted
Longed for
absconder · manhunt · hideout · alias · disguise · incognito · untraceable · bounty · APB · criminal
flee
Depart swiftly from threat
skedaddle · dash · sprint · scramble · getaway · escape · run · split · vamoose · take off
chase
Rapid following of quarry
trail · search · stakeout · surveillance · hound · shadow · follow · detective · investigation · dragnet
evade
Escape by cunning
avoid · slip away · shake off · lose · outrun · outsmart · outwit · give the slip · duck · sidestep
- escapeescape, flee, run away, get away, flight
- fugitivesfugitive, escapee, escaped convict, runaway, prison escapee
- hiding outhideout, safe house, lair, refuge, bolt-hole
- noir slanggumshoe, femme fatale, private eye, shamus, peeper
- Escape Termsbreak free, get away, run away, escape route, getaway
- ProhibitionProhibition, speakeasies, bootlegger, bootleggers, speakeasy
on the lamincarcerated
Confined in prison
imprisoned · in custody · locked up · behind bars · in jail
on the lamsurrendered
Ceased resistance formally
apprehended · captured · caught · on probation · accounted for
on the lamturned in
Submitted or went bedward
surrendered · caught · accounted for · found · located