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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Tens of thousands fled by boat from Hue, many drowning in the attempt, and by the end of March a million refugees—soldiers, civilians, whole extended families—were clogging Route 7B, a major highway, trying to get farther south.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026 -
More than 12 million have had to flee their homes, earning Sudan the unfortunate privilege of having the world’s worst displacement crisis.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As tensions escalate into violence, Tina retreats into the basement, seeking refuge from the chaos above.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The carrier retreated to Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the island of Crete for maintenance work March 23.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Each destroyer is equipped with two SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters that can fly out to ships that might be potentially approaching the blockade line and can provide visual identification of the approaching ship.—
Luis Martinez,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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The impact sent a baby’s car seat flying.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That the content will become marketing and the audience will bolt.—
Jonathan Hunt,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
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When the Consumer Price Index for March is released on Friday morning, it’s expected to show that US inflation bolted higher – a direct result of the Middle East war’s energy shock.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Speier, who entered politics by first working as a congressional aide and experienced harassment from a supervisor, said that part of the problem in Congress is that members are given wide latitude to run their offices.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Sometimes these Chicago White Sox rebuilds seem to run together in your mind.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rather than escape, the sheepherder accepts his death.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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Police said another man and a woman escaped uninjured.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Authorities say Freeman ran away from the vehicle.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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The foursome stares at each other for a moment, then Ashley and Austin literally run away.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After the Nationals scored four runs off Milwaukee relievers Abner Uribe and Angel Zerpa (0-1) to take a 6-3 lead in the seventh, the Brewers quickly responded.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The Pirates also took advantage of Caleb Thielbar’s throwing error to score an unearned run off the lefty reliever in the 11th inning.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 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 18 Apr. 2026.
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