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 pair then flee into the building’s stairwell, but a wounded, knife-wielding Jimenez follows hot on their tails and another struggle ensues that ends as the victim succumbs to his wounds.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2025 -
Six months later, in May 2024, CNN published footage from a security camera at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles showing Ventura fleeing a room, only to be attacked by Combs, who is seen wearing a white towel around his waist and socks.—
Danielle Bacher,
People.com,
2 May 2025
Verb
-
April 2025 The Hermit: April invites you to retreat inward, Gemini.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 May 2025
-
When the volume of disruption outpaces clarity, managers retreat into operational survival mode and teams follow.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Related: [These new flying taxis offer a glimpse at our future commutes] But those use cases are still a far cry from the vision many futurists have of personal flying cars swarming city skies.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
8 May 2025
-
Bridges followed that make with a flying steal in front of his bench, then ripped the ball out of Jaylen Brown’s arms to end the game.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
8 May 2025
Verb
-
Unlike the Eastern Seaboard, where turbines can be bolted into the seabed, the continental shelf off the coast in the Pacific plunges steeply.—
Rob Nikolewski,
Mercury News,
8 May 2025
-
Harris, a five-star, left Texas A&M for LSU in December 2022 and then bolted Baton Rouge for UTSA a year later.—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
Verb
-
Applicants will be selected in August, and the program will run from September through November in New York City.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
5 May 2025
-
This story will run after Episode 4, but in Episode 3, clearly Dina wants something to happen in the tent.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
5 May 2025
Verb
-
An Army spokesman on Thursday confirmed that two inmates tried to escape late last month.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
9 May 2025
-
Though their time together was fleeting, her daughter Teresa, who is going to unintentionally enter the same dangerous environment her mother once escaped, will live with the effects.—
Sixteen Ramos,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
Verb
-
The unidentified 35-year-old woman was spotted running away from a home in Bridgeport around 1:30 p.m., cops said in a Facebook post.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2025
-
The Belton Police Department said that Allison ran away from the school after the stabbing in 2022, but was arrested 20 minutes later.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The siblings ran off empty-handed and the victim reported the clash to police.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2025
-
After his win over Hassan, Usman ran off eight straight wins.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 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 15 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share