1
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
2
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
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Recent Examples of ran away
As the boys ran away down the street, the man raised the pistol again and fired at them, striking Guzman in the back.
—
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
The boys knocked on Leon’s door several times and ran away, Julián’s cousin told police.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Janari heard the shots, turned and ran away.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
The pair jumped out of the SUV and ran away but were found hiding in bushes.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
Police said at the time that another then-17-year-old boy was driving the car when a shot rang out, and that three other occupants ran away, leaving a dying Miguel and the driver behind.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
Copeland had already ran away, and the West Palm Beach officers immediately returned to their city, the affidavit said.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
The boys knocked on Leon’s door several times and ran away, Julián’s cousin told police.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Janari heard the shots, turned and ran away.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
The pair jumped out of the SUV and ran away but were found hiding in bushes.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
Police said at the time that another then-17-year-old boy was driving the car when a shot rang out, and that three other occupants ran away, leaving a dying Miguel and the driver behind.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
Copeland had already ran away, and the West Palm Beach officers immediately returned to their city, the affidavit said.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ran away
Verb
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Having escaped disaster and gauged the full extent of American self-deterrence, Putin began putting pressure on Ukraine’s neighbors and suppliers.—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
10 Sep. 2025
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One snake got tear-gassed by police, then shot at five times, and still escaped—only to finally meet its match with a garden hoe (obviously).—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Gerson believes the gangs have retreated.—
Johnny Fils-Aimé,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
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Runner-up Sabalenka, meanwhile, retreated to another area, smashed her racket until the frame buckled and sat with her back against the wall, next to the scratch marks left on the floor.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The mufti fled Mandatory Palestine but continued to orchestrate terrorism from his initial base of operations in Beirut.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Jurors at the trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, heard from the Secret Service agent who confronted an armed Routh on the golf course before Routh fled, and a witness who identified Routh to police.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Johnson and Brown initially ran off; however, Brown later doubled back and was shot again, this time to death.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Baltimore ran off 17 unanswered points spanning the first and second quarters by leaning heavily on its running game.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Also, treat operational maintenance as a growth lever, not as tech debt, because speed is achieved when reliability is baked into the process, not bolted on.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Many of the plants have bolted or gone to seed or withered in the heat.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Debose got out on a $10,000 bond due to the choices of a magistrate in that pursuit case, but Hartig was still handling the proceedings.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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Word got out and, even before The Public Eye was released, Jerry was cast as Paul House, the murderer in Woody Allen’s Manhattan Murder Mystery — a role every bit as big as Diane Keaton’s, Alan Alda’s or Angelica Huston’s.—
Howard Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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EDTIn a press conference, authorities shared security camera footage of the gunman running across a roof and jumping down from a building before leaving the Utah Valley University campus.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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The design leans rustic (give or take a couple of Togo chairs), with moss green paneling, tartan upholstery, and wood beams running throughout.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The video, released Thursday night, showed a person running across a rooftop of the building from which the fatal round was fired before climbing down and dropping to the ground.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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Pittman noted the Rebels didn’t run their offense at their standard lightning pace for much of the game and did a lot of looks to the sidelines for late play adjustments.—
Tom Murphy,
Arkansas Online,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ran away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran%20away. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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