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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
For an unknown reason, the vehicle ran off the roadway right and struck a sign and a fence, FHP said.
—
Elainie Barraza, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026
Hall’s adult daughter called 911, but Rivas ran off, prosecutors said.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
In the novel, Spade and partner Miles Archer are private investigators who accept a case from a woman hoping to find her sister, who ran off with a mysterious man.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Conner also only got a glance at the man who ran off for no more than two seconds.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
The driver of the sedan ran off before police arrived, police said.
—Brandon Downs, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Scott, who received a sponsor exemption, ran off five birdies on the back nine and closed with a 63 to finish fourth, two shots behind.
—Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb. 2026
Lofton’s foster father drove him to a mental health provider, but the teen ran off.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Gouiri ran off and celebrated in the opposite direction).
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Elainie Barraza, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026
Hall’s adult daughter called 911, but Rivas ran off, prosecutors said.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
In the novel, Spade and partner Miles Archer are private investigators who accept a case from a woman hoping to find her sister, who ran off with a mysterious man.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Conner also only got a glance at the man who ran off for no more than two seconds.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
The driver of the sedan ran off before police arrived, police said.
—Brandon Downs, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Scott, who received a sponsor exemption, ran off five birdies on the back nine and closed with a 63 to finish fourth, two shots behind.
—Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb. 2026
Lofton’s foster father drove him to a mental health provider, but the teen ran off.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Gouiri ran off and celebrated in the opposite direction).
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ran off
Verb
-
Kansas coach Bill Self was ejected from Tuesday’s game against Arizona State with his Jayhawks trailing late in the first half.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Weston, who was also ejected from the Toyota during the crash, was taken to North Shore University Hospital in critical condition, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
See how the horny hockey show escaped the criticism and did what its contemporaries cannot.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Ejecta thrown up by the impact would mostly have rained back down onto the surface of the moon, but millions of pounds of debris would have still escaped the lunar gravity and fallen towards Earth instead, possibly creating a unique meteor shower lasting a few days.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On her island home in the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, the shoreline has visibly retreated within her short lifetime, with beaches eroded, coastal trees uprooted and some homes now barely 3 feet from the sea at high tide.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The real horror in Frankenstein was a brilliant man who unleashed power and retreated from accountability.—
Tom Debley,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
After the allegations against his son, the official was dismissed from his post, according to a decision published Wednesday in the state government’s official gazette.—
Eléonore Hughes,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Figures in the main opposition Republican People’s Party, known by its Turkish initials CHP, have dismissed the charges as politically motivated.—
Beril Akman,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The city fell into mayhem as panicked residents fled.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
-
As officers approached the scene, a man fled the area in a Ford with others in the vehicle, Wright said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
However, Bach outed himself as the other man when promoting his own memoir, 18 and Life on Skid Row, in 2016.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Mar. 2026
-
White segregationists and liberals have outed Black people as deviant to maintain their claims to normalcy and socioeconomic dominance.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Knicks, save for some frenetic Raptors rallies from down double-digits, weathered an early storm and ultimately ran away with a 111-95 victory in Toronto on Tuesday.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
After going into halftime down by a point, Washburn ran away from Fort-Smith in the second half and started another streak with an 81-53 victory.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And while it isn’t designed to be forever, it is bolted to the sidewalk.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Then they’re bolted on with just enough torque to flex and hold fast, even in the most severe turbulence.—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ran off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran%20off. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
