1
as in ejected
to drive or force out
the dog often ran off cats and other animals that had intruded upon his owner's property
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in escaped
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
their rebellious daughter's run off because she was disciplined again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in retreated
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the mouse ran off as soon as it saw us
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ran off
Ross ran off after the crash, and did not report the incident to police.
—
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Beck ran off the field without meeting his opponents for a postgame handshake.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Higgins said two males believed to be in their late teens or early 20s who were wearing masks ran off after the shooting.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Political events and news programming ran off with 16 of the top spots in 2024, but in the absence of a collar-grabbing quadrennial circus, only three Beltway spectacles carved out space on this year’s chart.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 Jan. 2026
After throwing the sandwich, Dunn ran off but was apprehended about a block away.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
The coyote then chased after the child until the child's father noticed and started yelling until the coyote ran off.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
At 25, when half her friends ran off to marry well and the other half were hell-bent on climbing the corporate ladder, Bizu found herself in the middle, unsure whether to pursue a boyfriend or a business plan.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 28 Oct. 2025
Rickie Collins threw two touchdown passes for the Orange, one of them tying the game late in the first quarter, before the Panthers ran off 16 unanswered points.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Beck ran off the field without meeting his opponents for a postgame handshake.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Higgins said two males believed to be in their late teens or early 20s who were wearing masks ran off after the shooting.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Political events and news programming ran off with 16 of the top spots in 2024, but in the absence of a collar-grabbing quadrennial circus, only three Beltway spectacles carved out space on this year’s chart.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 Jan. 2026
After throwing the sandwich, Dunn ran off but was apprehended about a block away.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
The coyote then chased after the child until the child's father noticed and started yelling until the coyote ran off.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
At 25, when half her friends ran off to marry well and the other half were hell-bent on climbing the corporate ladder, Bizu found herself in the middle, unsure whether to pursue a boyfriend or a business plan.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 28 Oct. 2025
Rickie Collins threw two touchdown passes for the Orange, one of them tying the game late in the first quarter, before the Panthers ran off 16 unanswered points.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ran off
Verb
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The Nissan overturned and crashed into a guardrail along the freeway, which ejected the passenger onto the freeway.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The motorcyclist was ejected and died at the scene of the crash, CHP Officer Jasmine Lopez said.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After racing out to a 4-0 lead in the first two periods, off the strength of three goals in 54 seconds in the first period, the Bruins survived by their fingernails a third-period push from the Vegas Golden Knights and escaped TD Garden with a 4-3 victory.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Troops on Monday seized a prison in the northeastern town of Shaddadeh, where some IS detainees escaped and many were recaptured, state media reported.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Asia-Pacific markets broadly retreated Tuesday.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
20 Jan. 2026
-
But beginning on Saturday, the Syrian military pushed into areas not covered by the agreement, and Kurdish forces appear to have retreated in disarray.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sprowls sued, and an appellate court dismissed the lawsuit, siding with the county party, Davis said.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
-
In November, a federal judge dismissed the charges against both Comey and James, finding that Halligan had been unlawfully appointed.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Authorities said Husien then carjacked another vehicle at gunpoint and fled north toward San Jose.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
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In February 2024, three people were shot dead by gunmen – one who arrived and fled aboard a boat – in Acapulco.—
Janay Reece,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Audits released in December found that the city's aviation department lacked oversight of over 90% of their non-construction contracts, and outed a former Austin Energy employee for stealing nearly $1 million in public money by routing contracts to fictitious vendors.—
Chaya Tong,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Jan. 2026
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Dunbar cited research on social networks that suggests people in interconnected friend groups are more likely to be generous to one another, possibly out of fear of being outed as miserly to an entire group.—
Jenny Singer,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The people enslaved at the mansion included Oney Judge, who famously ran away and remained free despite Washington’s attempts to return her to bondage.—
Tassanee Vejpongsa,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
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But the train ran away from the station a long time ago.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Vladislav Gavrikov, who bolted in free agency over the summer, returned to his old stomping grounds for the first time and picked up an assist for his new team and an unwelcome one for his former cohorts as well.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
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Reynolds scored 16 of his 22 points in the first quarter as Martin bolted out to a 29-2 lead after one and led 45-13 at halftime.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ran off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran%20off. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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