escapement

UK: /ɪˈskeɪpmənt/ US: (i skāp′mənt)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

es•cape•ment  (i skāp′mənt), n. 

1. Time [Horol.] the portion of a watch or clock that measures beats and controls the speed of the going train. Cf. anchor escapement, deadbeat (def. 1), lever escapement. 
2. a mechanism for regulating the motion of a typewriter carriage, consisting of pawls and a toothed wheel or rack.
3. Music and Dance a mechanism in a piano that causes a hammer to fall back into rest position immediately after striking a string.
4. an act of escaping.
5. [Archaic.] a way of escape;
   outlet.

• escape + -ment (calque of French échappement 1730–40

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

escapement / ɪˈskeɪpmənt/ noun

1. a mechanism consisting of an escape wheel and anchor, used in timepieces to provide periodic impulses to the pendulum or balance
2. any similar mechanism that regulates movement, usually consisting of toothed wheels engaged by rocking levers
3. (in a piano) the mechanism that allows the hammer to clear the string after striking, so that the string can vibrate
4. an act or means of escaping