Meanings
- A case of every man for himself.
[…] a select body of his cavalry were seen galloping from the field with a sauve qui peut.
1858, Sir Edward Cust, Annals of the Wars of the Eighteenth Century, page 1202 more examples
We heard a step softly approaching the open door, and, in a horrible sauve qui peut, we rushed and stumbled together toward the light by Uncle Silas's bed.
1865, Sheridan Le Fanu, Uncle SilasIf it comes to a sauve qui peut you fellows may get away but this connects me up past explaining.
1934, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], The Bravo of London
Origin
- Frenchsauve qui peut
- Englishsauve qui peut
Unadapted borrowing from French sauve qui peut.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
sauve qui peut. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sauve%20qui%20peut
“sauve qui peut.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sauve%20qui%20peut. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sauve qui peut,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sauve%20qui%20peut.
Source: sauve qui peut on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.