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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hightail (it)
Verb
-
The family fled Colombia in 2002, leaving behind comfort and status.—
Clara-Sophia Daly,
Miami Herald,
7 June 2025 -
Hardin fled the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Arkansas, through a secure entryway on May 25 wearing a fake law enforcement uniform.—
Jorge L. Ortiz,
USA Today,
7 June 2025
Verb
-
Also, market reaction to further tariff moves may cause Trump to retreat to the point that the effect of any tariff actions is fairly nominal.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
-
The soldiers fired warning shots and then opened fire when the suspects would not retreat, according to the IDF.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
This technology allows even those with limited flying experience to handle the bike safely and confidently.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2025
-
Perez was intentionally walked to load the bases, but the Royals stranded all three runners as Maikel Garcia flew out to right field.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
31 May 2025
Verb
-
Where the trunk narrowed higher in the tree, Flores bolted spikes into the bark to make the final few steps into the structure.—
Liam Dillon,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
-
Five-year-old Amber bolted in late April, a day after arriving in London from Qatar, where she was rescued from the streets.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
3 June 2025
Verb
-
The state’s current governor, Democrat Phil Murphy, can't run again after serving two terms.—
Brittany Shepherd,
ABC News,
10 June 2025
-
In 1933, Berg ran what amounted to a Very Special Episode: a full Seder, sung by a real cantor, which Pepsodent, her sponsor, agreed to air without ads.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Verb
-
While restaurants, meatpackers and countless other businesses now risk having workers targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, tech employers have largely escaped Trump administration scrutiny for their use of foreign labor.—
Alec MacGillis,
ProPublica,
3 June 2025
-
But the Hurricanes escaped further trouble when Joey Urban — with runners on the corners — bounced into an inning-ending double play.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2025
Verb
-
The disappearance was particularly suspicious given that Woodward's 17-year-old stepdaughter, Heather, had recently run away from home.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
6 June 2025
-
There’s no one Georgia is running away from more than herself.—
Jennifer Adams,
StyleCaster,
5 June 2025
Verb
-
And the opening two stories of my collection, Survival Tips, are set in high school, the first about a teenager whose best friend’s father runs off with one of his community college students, the second a new teacher who faces a particularly daunting parent conference.—
Miriam Gershow
June 9,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2025
-
In the main, these rough and ready fanzines — literally a blend of ‘fan’ and ‘magazine’ — looked to have been run off on the office photocopier when the boss wasn’t looking.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Hightail (it).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hightail%20%28it%29. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share