ran off

verb

past tense of run off
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

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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

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 off Her play The Cake has been produced over 100 times worldwide and ran off-Broadway at Manhattan Theater Club. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026 The Mercedes failed to turn at a curve and ran off the right side of the road, according to a crash log. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026 Collins then allegedly shot Rodriguez in the chest and ran off. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026 Senior is a liar and a scammer, who ran off with another woman when Junior was a kid. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026 Campbell then ran off in an alley just south of the Damen station. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026 When someone intervened, the unidentified suspect ran off, the university said. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026 During a 2021 game with Tampa Bay against the New York Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers and effectively ending his career. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026 Walker’s Harley-Davidson struck the deer near Beaverdam Road, overturned, skidded crossed the center line and ran off the road, Freeman said. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ran off
  1. ejected
  2. escaped
  3. retreated
  4. dismissed
  5. fled
  6. bolted
  7. outed
  8. ran away
Verb
  • Early exit Maryland defensive back Dontay Joyner took another twist Saturday when he was ejected for a flagrant personal foul just 96 seconds into the game.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Last month, a 42-year-old man fell to his death at Six Flags Over Georgia after being ejected from a roller coaster.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of ejected
Verb
  • Three women inmates escaped a transport van in the midst of the fire chaos, and Mickey needed her troops to find the missing convicts instead of helping with the fire.
    — Megan Vick, Variety, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Stayner first became notable as the older brother of Steven Stayner, who escaped a 1972 kidnapping in 1980.
    — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of escaped
Verb
  • The officers then retreated from the SUV and gave the man commands to exit the vehicle with his hands up.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2026
  • European indexes, which aren’t tilted as heavily toward technology stocks, also retreated modestly.
    — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of retreated
Verb
  • Women’s stories, especially those focused on their desires, have historically been dismissed as unserious, but romance has always had a huge, loyal readership.
    — Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Five other felonies were dismissed by prosecutors as part of the plea agreement.
    — Logan Smith, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of dismissed
Verb
  • Other passengers hit the man, and when the bus stopped and the couple fled, a crowd of riders and people from the street chased them, until they were rescued by police.
    — Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Palestinian citizens of Israel, descendants of those who remained as the state of Israel was established in 1948 (when a majority of the prewar population was forcibly expelled or fled during the war) now make up about 20% of the population.
    — Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of fled
Verb
  • Tatum erupted for 18 points in the first quarter on three 3s and White added 10 as the Celtics bolted to a 40-20 lead.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The Chargers bolted out to a 9-3 lead against the Los Angeles Rams only to lose 24-9.
    — Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of bolted
Verb
  • After Meta was outed as the company behind the data center, the social media giant and Piqua government officials said the project would bring economic investment to the region.
    — Naomi Nix, Time, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Co-owner John Mara is battling cancer, and co-owner Steve Tisch is laying low after being outed in the Epstein Files.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of outed
Verb
  • The neighbor, still on the scene, appeared to pick up another unidentified object from the ground, ABC 7 reported, but was approached by an ICE agent who told him to drop it, then sprayed a substance at the neighbor, who ran away with his dogs.
    — Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2026
  • When an officer approached the car, Vermontay Burch, 20, jumped out and ran away, according to the department.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of ran away

Browse Nearby Words

ranks
ran off
ran off with
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Cite this Entry

“Ran off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran%20off. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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