as in fled
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 hightailed (it)
Verb
-
The city fell into mayhem as panicked residents fled.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026 -
As officers approached the scene, a man fled the area in a Ford with others in the vehicle, Wright said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On her island home in the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, the shoreline has visibly retreated within her short lifetime, with beaches eroded, coastal trees uprooted and some homes now barely 3 feet from the sea at high tide.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The real horror in Frankenstein was a brilliant man who unleashed power and retreated from accountability.—
Tom Debley,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And while it isn’t designed to be forever, it is bolted to the sidewalk.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Then they’re bolted on with just enough torque to flex and hold fast, even in the most severe turbulence.—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
See how the horny hockey show escaped the criticism and did what its contemporaries cannot.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Ejecta thrown up by the impact would mostly have rained back down onto the surface of the moon, but millions of pounds of debris would have still escaped the lunar gravity and fallen towards Earth instead, possibly creating a unique meteor shower lasting a few days.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Those who are running are nice enough.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
According to an electoral profile of the former soldier, who is running as a Green Party candidate for a North Carolina senate seat, McGinnis served with the Marines from 2000 to 2004.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
5 Mar. 2026
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
“Hightailed (it).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hightailed%20%28it%29. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
