HIGHTAILS (IT) Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

hightails (it)

verb

present tense third-person singular of hightail (it)

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

Dunn, having none of it, stabs Dickie 20 times with a broken liquor bottle–with pants around his ankles, no less–while Alma flees out a window.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
With no idea what's going on, Dylan flees the FBC to find that the Hiss — otherworldly crimson monsters from another dimension — have overrun Manhattan.

— George Yang, Space.com, 22 June 2026

Definition of flees

Verb

After Will’s funeral, Alice retreats to her in-laws’ remote, dilapidated house, where, through the Necronomicon, a demonic spirit is unleashed and begins to turn the family members into Deadites.

— Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
When Aries pushes harder, Cancer retreats further, and neither feels understood.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026

Definition of retreats

Verb

SpaceX now flies roughly half the world’s orbital launches — 165 in 2025 and more than 80% of the mass carried to orbit — but its vehicles are built for its own missions.

— Charlotte Kiang, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
In a generation that promotes body positivity, Brandy Melville flies under the radar with its eye-catching branding and misleading sizes.

— Sienna Feliciano, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

Definition of flies

Verb

This episode, Zack wakes up and bolts upright with the bandage still on his head from getting clobbered with a sign on his birthday and can’t remember what happened the night before.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 9 July 2026
When spinach bolts, the plant focuses its energy on producing flowers and seeds rather than leaves.

— Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 29 Apr. 2026

Definition of bolts

Verb

The TikTok edits, the outfit identification threads, the contestant rivalries trending on X by the end of an episode, all of it turns 60 minutes of passive viewing into a multi-platform conversation that runs all week.

— Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Metro-North runs Yankee Clipper trains from Grand Central to Yankee Stadium for all weeknight and weekend games for about $5 to $8 each way.

— James McClellan, Curbed, 10 July 2026

Definition of runs

Verb

While the husky works to protect the child, the boy runs off-frame in search of safety.

— Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
The lineup already was revving, as Rushing homered in the second inning while Sasaki was still in the game, and both Kyle Tucker and Muncy drove in runs off starter Randy Vasquez in the third, cutting the deficit to two.

— Liana Handler Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026

Definition of runs off

Verb

In this year’s survey, more than 661,000 votes were cast—on city and island escapes, safari outfitters, airlines, and hotels around the world.

— Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
California has laws in place regarding driving vehicles with load that escapes from it and what types of items can be carried and how.

— Paris Barraza, USA Today, 7 July 2026

Definition of escapes

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.

Browse Nearby Words

hightail (it)

hightails (it)

high-tech

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hightails (it).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hightails%20%28it%29. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of hightails (it)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

yaw

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes