as in flees
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 hightails (it)
Verb
-
The president flees these tradeoffs as a matter of course and flip-flops unpredictably when pressures rise.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026 -
Benedict’s offer is met with deafening silence, before Sophie flees his embrace in distress.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Published in 1842, Poe’s story follows Prince Prospero, who retreats with a group of nobles into a fortified abbey as a deadly plague ravages the countryside.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
-
In the production, Hayes plays Elliott, a writer grappling with creative paralysis who retreats to a remote cabin, only to find the line between imagination and reality dangerously blurred.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The drone then flies autonomously to its destination.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
-
This policy flies in the face of the Constitution, legal precedent and Homeland Security's own guidelines.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
With that in mind, here are a few free agent options who could fit the Yankees if Bellinger bolts.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The canine then bolts across the field and is immediately chased by one horse, with about five more joining in moments later.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Monroe Hammond joined Everyday Health in 2021 and now runs the news desk as an editor.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
OpenAI says the new model runs 25% faster than the previous version and achieves state-of-the-art performance while using fewer computing resources.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In this delightfully science-minded historical fiction novel, one of the main characters runs away from her family to do astronomy while the other clocks up multiple major scientific expeditions under her belt.—
Brianne Kane,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
-
In this fluffy romance novel, burnt out pop star Amelia Rose runs away in the middle of the night to the Hallmark-worthy town of Rome.—
Amanda Favazza,
Southern Living,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Much of the precipitation that would normally fall as snow and stay in the mountains for months is instead falling as rain, which runs off quicker, Swain and other scientists said.—
Dorany Pineda,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
When the police give chase, Lamia runs off with him.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Whether retiring adults are eyeing sunny Florida, quaint Midwest towns, or charming East Coast escapes, there are plenty of destinations across the United States that offer a mix of affordable living and top-notch quality of life.—
Opheli Garcia Lawler,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Fly Little Bird follows the story of an American singer struggling with addiction who escapes her family’s West Bank settlement, eventually finding refuge in a Palestinian news agency, implicating those who shelter her.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 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
“Hightails (it).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hightails%20%28it%29. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
