as in fleeing
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 hightailing (it)
Verb
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His attackers were last seen fleeing in white KIA SUV.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026 -
Officers involved in the chase reported that the children taken from the Harrison Street residence may be inside the fleeing vehicle.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Glaciers all over the world -- especially in Antarctica -- are also retreating at a rapid pace, recent research shows.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
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The alarmed father then began retreating while shouting for their daughter to drive away.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Having conceded twice in a losing effort last weekend at Portland for their first blemish of the year, LAFC met up with an Earthquakes (7-1-0, 21 points) team that was flying high under sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
20 Apr. 2026
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The Bruins teammates didn’t pack any of their belongings before flying to New York to attend the draft, but after another cross-country flight home to Los Angeles, the pair had barely 24 hours to put their entire lives in boxes before heading back to the East Coast to join the Connecticut Sun.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While staff were momentarily stunned by the sheer volume of the steal, the suspect took advantage of the distraction, untangling himself from the struggle and bolting for the exit before police could arrive.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
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Mancini coached Italy to the European Championship title in 2021 then failed to get the Azzurri to the next year’s World Cup before bolting to take over Saudi Arabia’s national team.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Liza Demming, a neighbor who lives two houses down from the residence where most victims were shot, told The Associated Press that her security camera captured video of the gunman running away and the sounds of two shots.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
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Liza Demming, who lives two houses down from where most of the victims were shot, said her security camera captured video of the suspect running away along with the sound of two shots.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Police said the man battered a person inside the home before running off.—
Elyssa Kaufman,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
One of the horses tripped over a curb and fell over, toppling over its rider before running off.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Her car was parked nearby and the engine was running.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
In 2006, Lamont, fueled by his personal fortune and some savvy political advisers, visited local Democratic party committees and immersed himself in the drudgery of running a statewide campaign.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Her baby's father answered the door with his eyes bugging out, and Frierson barged in to find two other guys, needles, spoons and powder on the table.—
Brad Schmitt,
The Tennessean,
21 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Hightailing (it).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hightailing%20%28it%29. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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