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On the Lam: What Does This Popular Idiom Mean?

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On The Lam meaning! Are you looking for the definition of the common idiom “on the lam”? You are on the right page. The following lesson introduces what does this idiom mean, with example sentences and list of synonyms for this idiom with interesting ESL infographic.

On The Lam Meaning

on the lam

What Does On The Lam Mean?

On the lam” is an informal phrase and used mainly in US. If someone is on the lam, they are attempting to avoid being captured by the police or an enemy or from law enforcement. For example ” the escaped convicts have been on the lam for a week, with no leads as to their whereabouts.”

Example Sentences

Let’s take more examples used in sentences to understand clearly about this idiom:

  • He was recaptured after four months on the lam.
  • He was on the lam for seven years.
  • The robbers were on the lam for several days before they were caught.
  • While on the lam, Ben worked as a waitress at a small diner.
  • He’s always in some kind of trouble and perpetually on the lam.
  • Edward was on the lam for killing a man who had refused to return some borrowed bedsteads.
  • After the expose he had to take it on the lam.
  • Does he turn her over to the cops, or ditch school and go on the lam with her?
  • All of which leads her to suspect that he was either on the lam or in the Witness Protection Program.
  • He’s always in some kind of trouble and perpetually on the lam.

Words Related to Idiom

  • Wanted
  • Elusive
  • Brief
  • Criminal
  • Ephemeral
  • Passing
  • Volatile
  • Wandering
  • Flying
  • On the run