as in to flee
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
when a fight broke out, we hightailed it out of the bar
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hightail (it)
Verb
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He was spotted ducking down in a field as traffic passed by and fled before he was found in a small cave, police have said.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
1 June 2026 -
If your husband can limit his exposure to them without having to flee his own house, the situation may feel less awkward.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Luna and Lee both believe frustration will die down by November about trash fees and Balboa Park parking, which the City Council retreated on by agreeing to a complex deal last month.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2026
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To their credit, the Wayans don’t entirely retreat from controversy.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Starship and Blue Moon both have a ways to go before NASA will certify the vehicles to fly astronauts, so any time lost on that front by Blue Origin could further narrow NASA's options and increase the risk of setbacks to the agency's lunar landing timeline.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
3 June 2026
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To better understand the challenges Blue Origin now faces, Ars spoke with several SpaceX veterans who experienced the AMOS-6 failure and worked the long days afterward to get the Falcon 9 rocket flying and rebuild the shattered facility at Space Launch Complex-40.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Neto bolted home with a feet-first slide.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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In this type of test, called a static fire, a rocket is fueled and its engines are ignited to test the onboard systems, but the booster remains bolted to the launch pad and does not lift off.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Verb
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My father was running the skid steer outside, clearing the snow, leaving dirty white mounds to either side of the driveway that led from the house out to the range road.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) will advance to the general election to run America’s second-most-populous city, the Associated Press projected early Wednesday, as Republican reality TV star Spencer Pratt led the challengers vying to compete against her in November.—
Hannah Knowles,
Washington Post,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Mission Viejo right fielder Riley Campbell collected her third hit in the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate but Herrera escaped another jam to spark a celebratory dogpile.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
31 May 2026
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There's no doubt that when temperatures start to rise and approach 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the only way to survive is to find places with fans or air conditioning, or, if possible, escape to the beach or pool to cool off.—
Marilú Almaguer,
Glamour,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The team is running away with the National League East.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
4 June 2026
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The title refers to a story-fable about a horse that runs away, only to turn up at a time of crisis.—
Hillel Italie,
Fortune,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Police said the driver then ran off and left the Ford van at the scene, which was later towed by police.—
Marcella Baietto,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
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The Giants seemed to have put the game away in the ninth, scoring two runs off late-game reliever Juan Mejia.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Hightail (it).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hightail%20%28it%29. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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