HIGHTAIL IT Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

hightail (it)

verb

ˈhī-ˌtāl

Definition of hightail (it)

as in to flee

to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening when a fight broke out, we hightailed it out of the bar

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for hightail (it)

Verb

The sisters hoped to join their mother and a brother who had fled El Salvador a few years earlier and were living in Tennessee.

— CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
Some megabillionaires have already fled California since the tax was proposed.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of flee

Verb

Drunk on pollen and nectar, the bees retreat to their hives for the night, carefully and methodically, as if driven by a higher intelligence, an anonymous architect, or pure chance.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2026
The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated more than 1,800 points, or more than 3%, and the broad market S&P 500 pulled back more than 4%.

— Sean Conlon,Gina Francolla,Christopher Hayes,Nick Wells, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of retreat

Verb

Claude Fable 5 had produced a counterexample to the conjecture, much like how an ostrich is a counterexample to the conjecture that all birds can fly.

— Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
Jimmy Louis, 70, who was flying with his two children, last flew to Haiti two years ago.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of fly

Verb

The Chargers bolted out to a 9-3 lead against the Los Angeles Rams only to lose 24-9.

— Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
In the future, Kang said, the current plastic bins would be replaced with more durable cans bolted into the sidewalk and designed to be harder to tamper with.

— Hanna Kang, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of bolt

Verb

After starting in the middle of the night, candidates get about four hours of sleep over the next five days and complete tasks like carrying logs, launching boats into crashing waves, lying in cold ocean water and running around 200 miles.

— James LaPorta, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2026
And the government could be headed toward a federal shutdown if Congress fails to pass a funding bill to keep operations running.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of run

Verb

Anchovy Jack escaped from a San Francisco home just days after being adopted from an East Bay shelter, animal control officers said.

— Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
The winking pup had escaped from his new home in San Francisco days after undergoing surgery — being neutered and having his right eye removed — and his adoption from an East Bay organization.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of escape

Verb

The neighbor, still on the scene, appeared to pick up another unidentified object from the ground, ABC 7 reported, but was approached by an ICE agent who told him to drop it, then sprayed a substance at the neighbor, who ran away with his dogs.

— Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2026
When an officer approached the car, Vermontay Burch, 20, jumped out and ran away, according to the department.

— CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of run away

Verb

Demby reportedly didn't obey at first, then Raybould said Demby did before running off and leading police on a chase.

— Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
Her play The Cake has been produced over 100 times worldwide and ran off-Broadway at Manhattan Theater Club.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of run off

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Style

“Hightail (it).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hightail%20%28it%29. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of hightail (it)

verb

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