Synonyms of run away

run away 1 of 3

verb

1

as in to escape

to get free from a dangerous or confining situation

ran away from an unhappy marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

• escape
• flee
• run off
• fly
• get out
• break free
• leave
• clear out
• break out (of)
• abscond
• avoid
• move
• walk out
• pull out
• go
• sally (forth)
• evade
• lose
• lam
• exit
• take off
• depart
• elude
• shun
• shove (off)
• quit
• rescue
• bring off
• elope
• liberate
• disentangle
• release
• extricate
• spring
• decamp
• free
• loose
• loosen
• redeem
• emancipate
• enfranchise
• unbind
• manumit
• unfetter
• uncage
• unchain

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• remain
• stay
• dwell
• linger
• hang around
• abide
• stick around
• come back
• return
• tarry

2

as in to retreat

to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening

the child runs away from large dogs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• retreat
• flee
• fly
• bolt
• run
• run off
• escape
• bug out
• beat a retreat
• turn tail
• hightail (it)
• break
• beat it
• make tracks
• get (away)
• get out
• skedaddle
• skip (out)
• light out
• make off
• clear out
• skirr
• abscond
• decamp
• elope
• scram
• lam
• scat
• scarper
• mizzle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• face
• confront
• dare
• beard
• defy
• remain
• stay
• brave
• dwell
• linger
• hang around
• abide
• stick around
• tarry

runaway

2 of 3

adjective

as in rampant

showing no signs of being under control

a region plagued by runaway suburban sprawl

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rampant
• uncontrolled
• unbridled
• unchecked
• abandoned
• unrestrained
• unbounded
• intemperate
• unhindered
• raw
• uncontrollable
• unhampered
• ungovernable
• riotous
• wild
• uninhibited
• barbaric
• hog wild

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• controlled
• hampered
• checked
• hindered
• restrained
• constrained
• governed
• temperate
• moderate
• curbed
• bridled
• tempered

runaway

3 of 3

noun

as in sweep

Related Words

• sweep
• blowout
• landslide
• capture
• romp
• conquest
• subjugation
• walkaway
• victory
• laugher
• win
• vanquishing
• mastery
• success
• triumph
• walkover
• palm
• shutout
• takeover
• squeaker

Dissimilar Words

• loss
• defeat
• beating
• whipping
• overthrow
• rout
• trimming
• failure
• upset
• disaster
• licking
• collapse
• washout
• decline
• debacle
• flop
• drubbing
• slump
• slip
• shellacking
• wane
• setback
• fizzle
• lurch
• nonsuccess

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of run away

Verb

In June 1981, Nissensohn picked up 14-year-old Tanya Jones and 13-year-old Tammy Jarschke, who had run away from a Seaside foster home, and drove them from a Denny’s restaurant in Monterey County to a remote area in Los Padres National Forest. — Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Toney was running away from defenders all season and running toward the Heisman Trophy. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026

Adjective

With anxieties rising across the land, the couple’s relationship begins to fracture when the Emperor falls in love with a runaway slave. — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2026

Going gold Joel’s fifth studio album, 1977’s The Stranger, was a runaway success—but the singer, pictured alongside his accolades in New York in 1978, told Playboy a few years later that his newfound fortune didn’t faze him. — Michael Gioia, Architectural Digest, 4 Nov. 2026

Noun

Police initially deemed Lashaya Stine a runaway, but evidence pointed to foul play. — Eileen Murphy, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

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