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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Turkey has been further enhancing its border defenses to be able to respond to a potential influx of people fleeing unrest after mass antigovernment protests in Iran were met by a brutal crackdown in January that left thousands dead.—
Serra Yedikardes,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026 -
Deputies tried to pull the driver over, but the driver instead chose to flee, and during the chase, the driver allegedly turned his headlights off to try and evade deputies, the sheriff's office said.—
Jose Fabian,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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No more eight-minute buffer to retreat to.—
Jennifer Wolfgram,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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My group watched two sets of soldiers march in, twirl their guns, click their heels, and then retreat out of sight.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One diner, who works in the hospitality industry and is flying across the country to attend the pop-up and visit friends, is keeping his seat.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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In another set of images by photographer Ian Recchio, who goes by @Lookunderocks on Instagram, another aircraft, described as a business-jet-type platform, was seen flying below the refueling formation.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Heat also stresses the plant and can cause bolting.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
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At the rate business was humming along, ValenSil was on track to bolt on a third shift, add about eight to 15 more workers, and even purchase land for further expansion.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Police said Baima had robbed a BMO bank branch before running from officers and pointing what appeared to be a handgun at them.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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Harris, a Democrat who ran for the seat in 2024, is a retired Brigadier General who spent 40 years in the military before becoming a cattle producer in Polk County.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With Sunday marking the start of a four-game homestand that includes matchups against the Wizards on Tuesday, Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday and Orlando Magic on Saturday, this is an important week for the Heat to take advantage of in its push to escape the NBA’s play-in tournament.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
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Unlike that unfortunate royal, however, the hoard of coins successfully escaped capture; Anastasia, in reality, did not.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the Cyclones reversed course, battled back and ran away with a 75-53 victory.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
13 Mar. 2026
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Best gets out of the vehicle, then runs away with police chasing after him.—
Dave Collins,
Hartford Courant,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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West Virginia led 56-43 with 90 seconds left before TCU ran off seven straight points to provide some hope.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Mar. 2026
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After a few minutes, footage showed the Rangers fans running off the pitch and back into the stands.—
Luke Bosher,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 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 14 Mar. 2026.
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