1
as in to out
to drive or force out
the dog often ran off cats and other animals that had intruded upon his owner's property
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to escape
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
their rebellious daughter's run off because she was disciplined again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to retreat
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the mouse ran off as soon as it saw us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fresh
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of runoff
Leyla Shokoohe, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025
Takaichi, 64, topped the first round of voting in last year’s party leadership election but was bested by Ishiba in the runoff.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
Rebecca Schneid, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins runs off the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts during the game at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 07, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
—Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for runoff
Verb
These factors, combined with Cincinnati’s temperamental plumbing, meant that during major storm events, the zoo’s runoff rainwater would flood the basements of area residents.
—Leyla Shokoohe, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025
Takaichi, 64, topped the first round of voting in last year’s party leadership election but was bested by Ishiba in the runoff.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
The theft was in plain sight, as photographs documented two men with a boltcutter running off with the sign.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins runs off the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts during the game at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 07, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
—Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for runoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for runoff
Verb
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Sports piracy has become so widespread that even professional athletes, like Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James (who was spotted using Streameast in May 2024) and Seattle Seahawks' Tariq Woolen, have been outed as users.—
Scharon Harding,
ArsTechnica,
4 Sep. 2025
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The star linebacker then made a spectacle of his final preseason outing with the team.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Most want to see better protections and less exploitation of fighters so that they are exposed to the least amount of danger in a sport that cannot escape it.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
-
If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And if the Fed ends up cutting fewer times than traders expect, including three this year, the market could retreat in disappointment.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
-
One deputy retreated while two of them fired their guns, hitting Williams and Lane, authorities said.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Vikings could aim to keep Jones fresh for the second half of the season and the playoffs by giving more touches to Mason over the first couple of months.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
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The show is, of course, trading in familiar stereotypes for all its real-life characters, but there is something about its bespoke combination of the retro and the fresh.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The fan was immediately ejected from Gainbridge Fieldhouse by security.—
Allison Smith,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
What the law changes Before SB 2929, referees and judges had to issue a verbal warning before ejecting a spectator.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Following its defeat by Communist Party forces in the Chinese Civil War, the Chinese Nationalist movement, led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled to the island in 1949 as a government in exile.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
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In six months, the site has grown from 600 people fleeing gang attacks in nearby Delmas 30 to 5,000 people from all over the capital, sheltering in packed government offices and makeshift shacks.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While some travelers choose to fly on Thanksgiving Day for lower prices and crowds, most leave at least a day early to avoid the risk of cancellations or delays upending their holiday plans.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Two games in, though, the Packers have passed both tests with flying colors.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Two and a half feet of rain beat down upon the face of the San Gabriels, wiping out the rustic resorts wedged into the canyons, and chuting runoff waters down onto the plain along ancient dry rivulets and freshets and canyons that Angelenos had forgotten or never known about.—
Patt MorrisonColumnist,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2023
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The Hudson River had a little current, fed by freshets from upstream with local rains, and melting snow farther up, in the Adirondacks.—
Ian Frazier,
The New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Runoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runoff. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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