1
as in to escape
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
ran away from an unhappy marriage
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to retreat
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the child runs away from large dogs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rampant
showing no signs of being under control
a region plagued by runaway suburban sprawl
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sweep
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of runaway
Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The case was initially investigated as a missing person/runaway.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
In April, a 13-year-old girl also reportedly ran away.
—Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Evan Howell, Quanta Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025
In June, California officially passed its new tax incentives to stop runaway production from the state and from Los Angeles specifically, and today, FilmLA released its first report of the quarter in LA since those incentives were passed.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for runaway
Verb
Lyon County deputies began their investigation as authorities placed the girl’s name into the National Crime Information Center as a runaway/missing person and called in Lyon County detectives to track down the child.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The case was initially investigated as a missing person/runaway.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
After defeating and killing Godolkin, Marie, along with four of her fellow university friends/classmates and her long lost baby sister, Annabeth Moreau (Keeya King), formed a Guardians of Godolkin group and ran away, as they will surely be hunted and punished for their deeds at the university.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
In April, a 13-year-old girl also reportedly ran away.
—Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
But if retreat happens quickly enough through something like runaway cliff collapse, the Earth can’t keep up.
—Evan Howell, Quanta Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025
In June, California officially passed its new tax incentives to stop runaway production from the state and from Los Angeles specifically, and today, FilmLA released its first report of the quarter in LA since those incentives were passed.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for runaway
Recent Examples of Synonyms for runaway
Verb
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The Epstein story is all about people who are sufficiently rich or entitled escaping the full consequences of their actions, something that is still happening here.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
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Seven years after disappearing from his California home in 1972, 14-year-old Steven Stayner escaped his kidnapper, Kenneth Parnell, and returned to his family in 1980.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the example below from their 2-1 win over Girona, Barcelona man-mark the opposition midfielders but Fermin Lopez’s passive positioning allows a pass into retreating centre-forward Portu.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Teddy demands that Michelle take him and Don to her Andromedan leader in the hope of forcing the invaders to retreat.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The country faces rampant inflation, widespread shortages, and mass emigration, with over seven million Venezuelans fleeing abroad.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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Suddenly, there is rampant competition for places between Emery’s No 10s.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The defending champions had given up four runs in a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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This image captures the Rubin Observatory beneath a dazzling sweep of the southern Milky Way galaxy, with the Large Magellanic Cloud glowing softly to the left.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Mykola, who fled the war in Ukraine in 2024, was a practicing doctor in Kyiv.—
Aditi Sangal,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
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The United Nations' migration agency said 2,500 to 3,000 people had fled El Fasher since Sunday.—
NPR,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Alaska is the fifth largest US airline and flies 44 million passengers each year to 120 destinations in five countries, accoring to its website.—
Aaron Cooper,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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As a defender in the English Premier League for 12 years, Higginbotham rarely had to fly.—
Rustin Dodd,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The study estimates that more than 2,300 rocket bodies are currently orbiting Earth and will eventually re-enter the atmosphere uncontrolled.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Oct. 2025
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However, unlike beer or cheese, where microbes are intentionally introduced and controlled, fermentation in cocoa beans is a spontaneous process and largely uncontrolled.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Adebayo only scored four points and didn’t hit another three-pointer after his first-quarter eruption, but the Heat still cruised to a blowout win behind its balanced attack.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
25 Oct. 2025
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Weathering the team's quarterback crisis, Jefferson reached a boiling point on Thursday night during a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.—
Trevor Squire,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Runaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runaway. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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