What does "escort" mean?
A group of people or vehicles, generally armed, who go with a person or people of importance to safeguard them on a journey or mission.
Escort
/ˈɛs.kɔɹt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A group of people or vehicles, generally armed, who go with a person or people of importance to safeguard them on a journey or mission.
- Grammar: escort is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: see, prostitute, accompanied, accompanied group.
- Useful contrasts: abandon, endanger, ignore.
- Usage evidence: He traveled with a large escort.
How to use "escort"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "escort" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "escort" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "escort" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "escort" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "escort" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "see" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "escort", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A group of people or vehicles, generally armed, who go with a person or people of importance to safeguard them on a journey or mission.
"The soldier who was pulling at the other end was clumsily unhorsed, and I myself was all but thrown by the unexpected jerk. This ludicrous incident at first provoked mirth among my escort, a mirth which their superstitious minds immediately turned into an ill omen."
- 2 the act of accompanying someone or something in order to protect them wordnet
- 3 An accompanying person in such a group.
"The waves being so high when we and the escorts, which stayed about one quarter mile to each side and ahead of us, were in a trough at the same time and we were unable to see one another."
- 4 someone who escorts and protects a prominent person wordnet
- 5 A guard who travels with a dangerous person, such as a criminal, for the protection of others.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 a participant in a date wordnet
- 7 A group of people attending as a mark of respect or honor.
- 8 an attendant who is employed to accompany someone wordnet
- 9 An accompanying person in a social gathering, etc.
""He'd come in for something to eat—the red-bearded one. We had quite a chat. I told him we were traveling like Stevenson—with a donkey; but that one of the ladies had an abscess on a tooth and was going home. He said it was no place for women and offered himself as an escort.""
- 10 Protection, care, or safeguard on a journey or excursion.
""I went home with Hester Paine, last evening, from writing school. Just as she had accepted my escort, Halbert came up, and in a condescending way, informed her that he would see her home.""
- 11 A sex worker who does not operate in a brothel, but with whom clients make appointments; a call girl or male equivalent; a pimp.
"Of the 68 women, 26 reported that they had worked on the streets and as an escort over the course of their career as a prostitute, 18 exclusively as a street prostitute, and 8 as an escort only (i.e., working for an escort service)."
Verb
- 1 To attend to in order to guard and protect; to accompany as a safeguard (for the person escorted or for others); to give honorable or ceremonious attendance to.
"He reported that the police escorted the children five or six blocks beyond Natural Bridge Avenue and at that point stopped the white children who were following and shooed them back to the park."
- 2 accompany as an escort wordnet
- 3 To accompany (a person) in order to compel them to go somewhere (e.g. to leave a building).
"At this point, the Tenant became extremely angry.... the Tenant started yelling even louder and charged at me. The Tenant was restrained by the security guard and escorted out of the hearing room. The Tenant was ultimately escorted out of the Board’s office because he continued his yelling and aggressive behaviour in the hallway and at the customer service desk."
- 4 conduct someone someplace wordnet
- 5 To go with someone as a partner, for example on a formal date.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To work as an escort (sex worker). intransitive
"It's ironic to note that her own makeup looked like that of a prospective showgirl who was escorting until her big break came."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"He traveled with a large escort."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "escort"?
Common synonyms include: see, prostitute, accompanied, accompanied group, accompanies, accompaniment.
How do you use "escort" in a sentence?
He traveled with a large escort.
How do you pronounce "escort"?
Pronounced /ˈɛs.kɔɹt/.
Etymology
Borrowed from French escorte, itself borrowed from Italian scorta.