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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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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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
The man allegedly knocked on doors before running away, according to police. — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026 The driver did not stop, and eventually got out of the car and ran away into a residence at Ann Lee Lane. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Adjective
The planet is less well mapped than Mars, and scientists aren’t exactly sure what triggered Venus’ runaway greenhouse effect. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026 As with Medicare Advantage plans, the $2,400 out-of-pocket drug spending cap protects Original Medicare seniors from runaway costs on expensive medications. — Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
But those observations are more compelling when applied to Alice, a former teen-age runaway who, in another life, might have ended up where Catherine is now. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 30 July 2026 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 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
  • As the comet rotates, fresh ice enters the sunlight and sublimates; the escaping gas then drags entrained dust particles away from the nucleus.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In July, two of OpenAI’s models escaped a testing environment and hacked the open-source AI platform Hugging Face.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of escape
Verb
  • Meanwhile, conservative activists spread rumors last week that Talarico was struggling with his mental health and had secretly retreated to an Ohio hospital.
    — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
  • While Chelsea tend to retreat after taking the lead, their opponents also become more aggressive in response, committing extra bodies forward and helping to create more open, end-to-end encounters.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of retreat
Adjective
  • Yet, we’re told by this administration that non-citizen voting is rampant and must be eradicated.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Co-existence with extraterrestrials has seen humans revert to old habits of prejudice and apartheid; crime and corruption are rampant as ever; pop-up ads now irksomely manifest as holograms in your personal space.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of rampant
Noun
  • Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca had RBI singles in the first and Cedric Mullins hit a solo homer for the Rays, who never trailed in a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees in their AL Division Series.
    — Rob Maaddi, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Waymos, like data centers, provide a ready vessel for strong reactions to the broad sweep of technological change.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of sweep
Verb
  • Bassam Abed said at least 10 residences housing some 300 families were reduced to rubble, and families were not given enough time to flee.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Other passengers included André Breton, Victor Serge, and Claude Lévi-Strauss—all fleeing the inferno.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of flee
Verb
  • The film opens on a beach, with Selvi and her friends flying kites, before moving into domestic interiors where her world narrows.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The hurricane sent chairs flying and destroyed the restaurant’s canopy.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of fly
Adjective
  • Causes may include uncontrolled high blood pressure, trauma from a fall or accident, or overtreatment of blood thinners.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The International Court of Justice (ICJ) could help stop the uncontrolled proliferation of satellites in Earth orbit, which threatens to erase stars from the sky, astronomers hope.
    — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of uncontrolled
Noun
  • In IconArrows pointing outwards Morgan Stanley Far more important to me will be how stocks respond to another quarter of probable blowout earnings growth from the AI complex.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In 2022, Donald sacked Allen once in a 31-10 season-opening blowout defeat that started the Rams’ historic Super Bowl hangover.
    — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 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 18 Oct. 2026.

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