6 VERB If something escapes you or escapes your attention, you do not know about it, do not remember it, or do not notice it. □ [V n] It was an actor whose name escapes me for the moment.
7 VERB When gas, liquid, or heat escapes , it comes out from a pipe, container, or place. □ [V ] Leave a vent open to let some moist air escape.
8 → see also fire escape
es|ca pe art|ist (escape artists ) N‑COUNT An escape artist is the same as an escapologist . [mainly AM ]
es|capee / I ske I piː / (escapees ) N‑COUNT An escapee is a person who has escaped from somewhere, especially from prison.
es|cap|ism / I ske I p I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT If you describe an activity or type of entertainment as escapism , you mean that it makes people think about pleasant things instead of the uninteresting or unpleasant aspects of their life. □ [+ from ] Horoscopes are merely harmless escapism from an ever-bleaker world.
es|cap|ist / I ske I p I st/ ADJ Escapist ideas, activities, or types of entertainment make people think about pleasant or unlikely things instead of the uninteresting or unpleasant aspects of their life. □ …a little escapist fantasy.
es|ca|polo|gist /e skəpɒ lədʒ I st/ (escapologists ) N‑COUNT An escapologist is someone who entertains audiences by being tied up and placed in a dangerous situation, then escaping from it. [BRIT ] in AM, use escape artist
es|carp|ment / I skɑː r pmənt/ (escarpments ) N‑COUNT An escarpment is a wide, steep slope on a hill or mountain.
es|chew / I stʃuː / (eschews , eschewing , eschewed ) VERB If you eschew something, you deliberately avoid doing it or becoming involved in it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Although he appeared to enjoy a jet-setting life, he eschewed publicity and avoided nightclubs.
es|cort (escorts , escorting , escorted ) The noun is pronounced /e skɔː r t/. The verb is pronounced / I skɔː r t/. 1 N‑COUNT An escort is a person who travels with someone in order to protect or guard them. □ He arrived with a police escort shortly before half past nine. ● PHRASE If someone is taken somewhere under escort , they are accompanied by guards, either because they have been arrested or because they need to be protected. □ …a group being taken under police escort to the city outskirts.
2 N‑COUNT An escort is a person who accompanies another person of the opposite sex to a social event. Sometimes people are paid to be escorts. □ My sister needed an escort for a company dinner.
3 VERB If you escort someone somewhere, you accompany them there, usually in order to make sure that they leave a place or get to their destination. □ [V n prep/adv] I escorted him to the door.
es|crow /e skroʊ/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Escrow is money or property which is given to someone, but which is kept by another person until the first person has done a particular thing or met particular requirements. [mainly AM , LEGAL ] □ They had $96,000 in their escrow account. □ His stake has been held in escrow since the start of the year.
Es|ki|mo /e sk I moʊ / (Eskimos ) N‑COUNT An Eskimo is a member of the group of peoples who live in Alaska, Northern Canada, eastern Siberia, and other parts of the Arctic. These peoples now usually call themselves Inuits or Yupiks, and the term Eskimo could cause offence.
ESL /iː es e l/ N‑UNCOUNT ESL is taught to people whose native language is not English but who live in a society in which English is the main language or one of the main languages. ESL is an abbreviation for 'English as a second language'.
esopha|gus / I sɒ fəgəs/ → see oesophagus
eso|ter|ic /iː soʊte r I k, [AM ] e sə-/ ADJ If you describe something as esoteric , you mean it is known, understood, or appreciated by only a small number of people. [FORMAL ] □ …esoteric knowledge. □ …a spoiled aristocrat with pretentious airs and esoteric tastes.
ESP /iː es piː /
1 N‑UNCOUNT ESP is the teaching of English to students whose first language is not English but who need it for a particular job, activity, or purpose. ESP is an abbreviation for 'English for specific purposes' or 'English for special purposes'. [BRIT ]
2 N‑UNCOUNT ESP is an abbreviation for 'extra-sensory perception'.
esp. esp. is a written abbreviation for especially .
es|pe|cial / I spe ʃ ə l/ ADJ [ADJ n] Especial means unusual or special in some way. [FORMAL ] □ The authorities took especial interest in him because of his trade union work.
es|pe|cial|ly ◆◆◇ / I spe ʃ ə li/
1 ADV You use especially to emphasize that what you are saying applies more to one person, thing, or area than to any others. [EMPHASIS ] □ Millions of wild flowers colour the valleys, especially in April and May. □ Re-apply sunscreen every two hours, especially if you have been swimming.
2 ADV [ADV adj/adv] You use especially to emphasize a characteristic or quality. [EMPHASIS ] □ Babies are especially vulnerable to the cold in their first month. SYNONYMS especially ADV
1
particularly: Keep your office space looking good, particularly your desk.
in particular: Why should he notice her car in particular?
specifically: Death frightens me, specifically my own death.
2
specially: What was specially enjoyable about that job?
particularly: Progress has been particularly disappointing.
exceptionally: The conditions under ground were exceptionally hot.
extremely: These headaches are extremely common.
Es|pe|ran|to /e spəræ ntoʊ/ N‑UNCOUNT Esperanto is an invented language which consists of parts of several European languages, and which was designed to help people from different countries communicate with each other.