run away 1 of 3

verb

Definition of run awaynext
1
as in to escape
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation ran away from an unhappy marriage

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to retreat
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening the child runs away from large dogs

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

runaway

2 of 3

adjective

as in rampant
showing no signs of being under control a region plagued by runaway suburban sprawl

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

runaway

3 of 3

noun

as in sweep

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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 run away
Verb
They are shown to have higher rates of suicide attempts and are nearly four times more likely to be kicked out, be abandoned or run away due to negative treatment based on their identity. — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026 But even still, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year didn’t exactly run away with this category. — Jeff Howe, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Adjective
On passenger airplanes alone, the Federal Aviation Administration has tracked nearly 200 thermal-runaway incidents since 2024. — Alison J. Stein, HubSpot, 1 Sep. 2026 That stat line stacked the scoreboard en route to a 59-10 runaway win against Cornerstone Christian. — Jeff Sentell, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Noun
Van Dokkum was not involved in the study but did lead the 2023 team that found the potential runaway with a tail of stars. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 July 2026 And police are more likely to classify a missing Black person as a runaway, leaving the case unreported, Moore said. — Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for run away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for run away
  1. escape
  2. retreat
  3. rampant
  4. sweep
  5. flee
  6. fly
  7. uncontrolled
  8. blowout
Verb
  • Smith, too, struggled to escape the clutches of a Burnley defence that saw Hjalmar Ekdal replace the tiring Igor midway through the second half.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Thieves broke into a museum devoted to the work of Pierre-Auguste Renoir in the South of France early this morning, making off with four paintings by the French Impressionist before dropping two in the garden in their haste to escape.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of escape
Verb
  • Officials say people who encounter a wolf should not run, but rather make noises, maintain eye contact and retreat slowly.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • There was television, which, starting in the nineteen-fifties, kept kids indoors; also, houses got a lot bigger, and families smaller, so that most kids suddenly had the option of retreating to their own bedrooms.
    — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of retreat
Adjective
  • The White House has repeatedly touted the economic impact that the sanctions have had on Iran, citing its rampant inflation and the massive loss in the value of its currency.
    — Matthew Lee, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The third-country deportations also include places so dangerous the State Department warns Americans to not travel there, like the Central African Republic, a landlocked country where armed conflict and violent crime are rampant.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of rampant
Noun
  • The division is probably out of reach, barring a weekend sweep of the Atlanta Braves, and that’s not the end of the world.
    — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, a daily sweep of today’s top headlines from the auto industry and car culture, curated by The Drive’s editorial team.
    — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of sweep
Verb
  • Lyle’s status has been in limbo since he was arrested in mid-August on a warrant stemming from charges for aggressively fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer and reckless driving in mid-July.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Many Muslim Americans hid or fled; between 2002 and 2003, thirteen thousand faced deportation proceedings.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of flee
Verb
  • Trump said on social media alongside a photo of former President Dwight Eisenhower, who was the first president to fly in a helicopter.
    — Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2026
  • At about midnight, the mayflies stopped flying and the fish disappeared.
    — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of fly
Adjective
  • Removing all the deer would actually increase fire risk by allowing brush to grow uncontrolled, according to Hahn.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The spacecraft started tumbling uncontrolled after launch, forcing NASA to abandon the mission.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncontrolled
Noun
  • An encouraging first half quickly turned to a second-half blowout against Notre Dame.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Clark rebounded with nine points and seven assists in a blowout win against Czechia to close the group stage.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of blowout

Browse Nearby Words

runaround
run away
runaway
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Cite this Entry

“Run away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/run%20away. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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