RAN AWAY Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

ran away

verb

past tense of run away

as in escaped

to get free from a dangerous or confining situation ran away from an unhappy marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in retreated

to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening the child runs away from large dogs

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of ran away State and federal authorities said Castro Rivera ran away on foot and was hit by a pickup truck on Interstate 264. — Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026 Gunfire rang out into the vehicle until both men eventually ran away in opposite directions. — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026 Officers made contact with the man, who then ran away and into the Fox River. — Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 27 June 2026 Witnesses told Chicago police that gunmen ran inside a Dunning neighborhood three-flat where two young men were found shot to death Thursday and then ran away from the block that sits at the foot of the Irving Park Cemetery. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026 Bayer and Diaconis — who as a teenager ran away from home to apprentice with a magician specializing in card tricks, before becoming a renowned mathematician — didn’t just prove the existence of a precise cutoff in a real-world system. — John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 17 June 2026 That’s when the witness said Anthony pulled out a knife, stabbed Metcalf once, then ran away. — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026 Kim shot his friend six times in front of his friend’s girlfriend in the parking lot of a CVS in Westminster, prosecutors say, and then ran away. — Sean Emery, Oc Register, 12 June 2026 There are five Broderick siblings, but their eldest brother and sister ran away from the cult, and their mother was kicked out after medication was found among her belongings. — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ran away

Verb

The agency believes the animals were likely captive and escaped or were released.

— Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 11 July 2026
Juan Luna and Jim Degorski escaped justice for nearly a decade until investigators caught a break.

— Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026

Definition of escaped

Verb

In the pandemic years, demographic experts say, under-35 adults retreated to parental homes to ride out quarantines and escape big-city crowds.

— Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 11 July 2026
Disposable income has since retreated to the normal upward trendline, but no matter.

— Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

Definition of retreated

Verb

Even though he was hit several times, the trooper was able to return fire before the suspect got back in the truck and fled, according to Fifield.

— Victoria Arancio, ABC News, 10 July 2026
Officials said the teenager fled California just days after the shooting and traveled to Texas.

— Reeti Malhotra July 10, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of fled

Verb

Against Seattle, the Storm bolted to a 21-13 lead after one quarter and held firm from there.

— Christopher Harris, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Oregon and Washington soon bolted, also for the Big Ten, and eventually Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah joined the Big 12, and Cal and Stanford joined the ACC.

— Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of bolted

Verb

Injuries, pitching problems, batting with runners in scoring position and base-running issues all come to mind quickly.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 11 July 2026
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

Definition of ran

Verb

The pair hopped the fence, knocked on a barn door and were sitting in their car writing a note to ask permission to return to take photos when Metz pulled up behind them and got out of his truck.

— Katie Langford, Denver Post, 7 July 2026
The crew and the two witnesses said one of the three men got out with a dog and then moved aggressively towards the crew while shouting racial slurs targeted at the photographer.

— Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 2 July 2026

Definition of got out

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ran amok

ran away

ran by

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“Ran away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran%20away. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of ran away

verb

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