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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From April 2020 to July 2025, 182,000 residents fled to other states, causing a demographic decline and a serious brain drain.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
16 Mar. 2026 -
When officers tried to intervene, the man fled in a car, police said.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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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Traditional solar panel systems, which can cost more than $20,000, are bolted to a homeowner's roof.—
Jeff Brady,
NPR,
12 Mar. 2026
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That was accomplished by bolting together several aluminum panels.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
11 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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Griffin Jax tossed a perfect sixth before David Bednar escaped a seventh-inning jam with two on and one out by striking out Tatis and Marte.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The mother is a Filipina former model, who moved to New York—partly to escape the judgment of her parents in Manila—and raised her daughter (with the help of her sister) as a single woman.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
15 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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Before reporting to Team Dominican Republic at the start of March, Bello struggled to keep runs off the board in spring training.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Yale led 19-16 then ran off six consecutive points to go ahead 25-16 with about 8 1/2 minutes left in the first half.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 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 16 Mar. 2026.
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