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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One of the drivers involved fled the scene on foot before first-responders arrived, according to authorities.—
Austin Turner,
CBS News,
3 May 2026 -
The driver fled, and deputies followed.—
Ciara McCarthy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Coe reportedly was hospitalized several years ago with Covid-19 and had mostly retreated from public appearances since then, though it is not known whether Covid played a part in his passing.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
30 Apr. 2026
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Or, retreat to peaceful Bluffside Gardens with ultramodern cabins that offer direct trail access.—
Sarah Miller,
Midwest Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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By the final showdown, the production has made use of every bit of stage space, with sensational flying sequences (choreographed by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant) that allow the vampires to float, hover, and—in one especially intense moment—dive from that bridge.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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Worst of all, like Zoolander 2 did before it, the film badly miscalculates the value of showbiz and industry cameos, which reach critical mass when the team members fly to Milan and, weirdly, only one of the latter (Donatella Versace, having an awkward lunch with Emily) seems to work.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This is also why the nine licensed Kentucky sportsbooks—DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, bet365, Fanatics, theScore Bet, Circa, and Prime—cannot simply bolt horse racing onto their existing platforms.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
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Following the chaotic ending Lynch, as was his custom, bolted almost immediately from the stadium.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Knicks made life difficult for him in the halfcourt, and once that happened, Atlanta’s offense kept running into dead ends.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Funding to run the Orange Line 24 hours a day, one of the first major service improvements that acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen floated after lawmakers approved new transit funding last fall.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But, though the guns of war were a decade in the past, the nation had not escaped the spectre of conflict.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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The show follows a couple who accidentally wander into Schmigadoon, a town where every day is a musical and the only bridge to escape leads to nowhere.—
Caroline Killilea,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Can those teams close the gap and prevent the German squad from running away with the title?—
Sahil Kapur,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
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As Gorman and her friends were running away, Medina-Medina shot her in the upper back, according to prosecutors.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Giants took the lead at the start, scoring a first-inning run off Steven Matz.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
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The driver then got out of the vehicle and ran off, but deputies gave chase.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
1 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 4 May. 2026.
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