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Entry 4 senses · 2 variants Webster, 1913

Fugitive

/fyo͞oj'-ət-ĭv/ · Fu·gi·tive · IPA /ˈfjuːd͡ʒɪtɪv/
01 a. Fleeing from pursuit, danger, restraint, etc., escaping, from service, duty etc.; as, a fugitive solder; a fugitive slave; a fugitive debtor.
  1. 1.
    Fleeing from pursuit, danger, restraint, etc., escaping, from service, duty etc.; as, a fugitive solder; a fugitive slave; a fugitive debtor.
    “The fugitive Parthians follow.” — Shak.
    “Can a fugitive daughter enjoy herself while her parents are in tear?” — Richardson.
    “A libellous pamphlet of a fugitive physician.” — Sir H. Wotton.
  2. 2.
    Not fixed; not durable; liable to disappear or fall away; volatile; uncertain; evanescent; liable to fade; -- applied to material and immaterial things; as, fugitive colors; a fugitive idea.
    “The me more tender and fugitive parts, the leaves . . . of vegatables.” — Woodward.
Phrases & compounds
Fugitive compositions — Such as are short and occasional, and so published that they quickly escape notice.
Syn. Fleeting; unstable; wandering; uncertain; volatile; fugacious; fleeing; evanescent.
02 n. One who flees from pursuit, danger, restraint, service, duty, etc.; a deserter; as, a fugitive from justice.
  1. 1.
    One who flees from pursuit, danger, restraint, service, duty, etc.; a deserter; as, a fugitive from justice.
  2. 2.
    Something hard to be caught or detained.
    “Or Catch that airy fugitive called wit.” — Harte.
Phrases & compounds
Fugitive from justice — one who, having committed a crime in one jurisdiction, flees or escapes into another to avoid punishment.