Entrinnen

Entrinnen is a German verb meaning to escape, elude, or slip away, particularly from pursuers, danger, or unfavorable circumstances. It is commonly found in literary or formal contexts and emphasizes the act of something slipping from grasp or control. The construction often involves a dative object indicating the person or force from which one escapes, as in Der Verdacht entrann ihm.

Etymology and usage notes: The word comes from ent- plus rinnen (to run or flow), reflecting the sense of something running away or slipping out of reach. Entrinnen tends to be more literary than everyday synonyms such as entkommen or entgehen. It can convey a successful evasion of danger, responsibility, or scrutiny, with a nuance of fate or chance rather than deliberate avoidance.

Conjugation and forms: Entrinnen is intransitive and has irregular morphology. In the present tense: ich entrinne, du entrinnst, er entrinnt, wir entrinnen, ihr entrinnt, sie entrinnen. The simple past is typically entrann, and the past participle is entronnen, with the perfect often formed using sein (ist entronnen). The noun das Entrinnen exists to denote the act of escaping.

Examples: Der Verdacht entrann ihm. Eine Flucht entrann den Verfolgern. These usages illustrate escape from danger, suspicion, or pursuit, reflecting the word’s formal or literary character.

See also: entkommen, entgehen, ausbrechen.