Emergency Exit: Definition, Examples & Safety Tips

Meaning 1：emergency exit (emergency exit)

emergency exit 🔊

/ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsi ˈeksɪt/

A special door or way out used only in urgent situations to leave a place quickly and safely.

emergency exit 🔊

➕

/ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsi ˈeksɪt/

A designated egress, such as a door or hatch, installed specifically for rapid evacuation during fires, natural disasters, or other life-threatening situations.

📁 Category：Buildings & Places 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'emergere' (to arise) + 'exitus' (a way out).

💡 Mnemonic

E-mergency E-xit: when in danger, Exit quickly, Escape safely.

📖 Example

During the safety drill, the teacher showed us how to find the emergency exit. 🔊 During the safety drill, the teacher showed us how to find the emergency exit.

🔗 Collocations

emergency exit sign – A illuminated sign (usually green) indicating the emergency exit location.

use the emergency exit – To leave via the special exit in an urgent situation.

block the emergency exit – To obstruct the exit, which is illegal and dangerous.

🔄 Synonyms

fire exit (n.) – A special door or window used to escape a fire.

escape route (n.) – A planned path for leaving a building during an emergency.

egress (n.) – A formal term for an exit or way out.

🚫 Antonyms

main entrance (n.) – The primary door used for everyday entry and exit.

dead end (n.) – A passage with no exit.

obstruction (n.) – Something that blocks a path or exit.

🌱 Derivatives

emergency (n.) – A serious, unexpected situation requiring immediate action.

exit (n./v.) – A way out; to leave.

📖 Cultural Story

After deadly factory fires in the early 1900s, building codes mandated emergency exits. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (1911) in New York killed 146 workers due to blocked exits, sparking safety reforms.