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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2
as in escaped
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation their rebellious daughter's run off because she was disciplined again

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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 The vehicle crossed the center line, ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. — Francie Ebert, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2026 At that point, witnesses told police the man ran off and entered a building in the 4000 block of North Ashland Avenue. — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026 The bear ran off, and first responders found the woman with non-life-threatening injuries, the Anchorage Police Department said. — ABC News, 21 July 2026 In the run-up to the 2010 World Cup, Spain ran off a 35-game unbeaten streak, which matched the longest in history at the time. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026 At one point the car ran off the road and returned to I- 435, the document recorded. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 13 July 2026 The suspect ran off after attacking his victim and remained at large on Wednesday. — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 8 July 2026 After the loss to Martins, Makhachev ran off 10 straight wins. — Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026 Weeks go by with most people assuming that Ashe ran off or was killed as a result of his sketchy business dealings. — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 5 June 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
  • Boone didn’t get to watch the disastrous half-inning from the dugout, as he was ejected in the top of the sixth.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • A week later, on Tuesday, May 19, Southampton were ejected from the play-off final by the EFL’s independent disciplinary commission.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of ejected
Verb
  • On the play Dart returned, the QB escaped the pocket before finding Fields in the end zone for a leaping touchdown grab.
    — Charlotte Carroll, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • And Above Ground includes poems to his children about what their ancestors endured and escaped.
    — Terry Gross, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of escaped
Verb
  • After July’s momentum wreck, bullish market sentiment retreated from extreme levels, setting the table for last week’s upturn.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The off-duty trooper exchanged fire through the window with the gunman, who briefly retreated and returned again, firing and hitting another victim who was trying to help and render aid.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of retreated
Verb
  • But the fate of Mangione’s state case, set to go to trial next month, now hangs in the balance as his attorneys seek to get second-degree murder and weapons charges dismissed over double jeopardy protections.
    — Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • All six defendants initially faced torture charges that were dismissed.
    — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissed
Verb
  • Police detectives are now working to determine the make and model of the vehicle that fled the scene.
    — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Foreign governments must also protect Afghans who have fled Taliban rule.
    — Rina Amiri, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of fled
Verb
  • As such, most of its parts are off-the-shelf, panels and interior components are bolted on, and there's no proprietary software locking owner-operators out of diagnosing and fixing their vehicles themselves.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The horse in question, Samson, bolted from a standstill at Cherry Hill on June 17, after Mahajan in his family, who were visiting from India, had climbed into the carriage after a photo had been taken but before the carriage horse driver was aboard.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of bolted
Verb
  • Thiel mentioned the news outlet Gawker, which had recently outed him as gay.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • And what happens to someone who’s been outed like that, as a fake?
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 July 2026
Definition of outed
Verb
  • Hörl intended to sell the statues for about 100 euros ($114) once the exhibition was over, meaning whoever ran away with 210 mini-Mozarts has not become an overnight millionaire.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Dallas police said an officer fired their weapon, and Melo-Munoz ran away, prompting a manhunt.
    — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 10 Aug. 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 18 Aug. 2026.

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