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
Ball made three three-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves used a 20-2 surge to run away with the game. — Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026 There’s a decisive thing where something’s just not right, some unexpected quest, something incomplete that has to be taken care of or not taken care of or run away from. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
Adjective
The Walking Dead soon followed and became a runaway ratings success. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026 The latest push to end the practice began in June after an 18-year-old Indian tourist, Romanch Mahajan, died after jumping from a runaway carriage. — Arkansas Online, 23 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
  • Anchovy Jack escaped from a San Francisco home just days after being adopted from an East Bay shelter, animal control officers said.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The winking pup had escaped from his new home in San Francisco days after undergoing surgery — being neutered and having his right eye removed — and his adoption from an East Bay organization.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of escape
Verb
  • Drunk on pollen and nectar, the bees retreat to their hives for the night, carefully and methodically, as if driven by a higher intelligence, an anonymous architect, or pure chance.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated more than 1,800 points, or more than 3%, and the broad market S&P 500 pulled back more than 4%.
    — Sean Conlon,Gina Francolla,Christopher Hayes,Nick Wells, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of retreat
Adjective
  • James Tomsheck, the former head of internal affairs for the Border Patrol, who was forced out of his job in 2014, alleged a culture of rampant impunity and corruption, saying that very few agents are willing to publicly voice complaints.
    — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • In higher education, despite the Regents oversight responsibilities, SED has been silent about Cornell University’s mishandling of student gang rape allegations and rampant drug abuse.
    — David Bloomfield, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of rampant
Noun
  • Talarico is on track to lead a Democratic sweep of Texas statewide offices, cutting down some of the most powerful politicians in the state’s history.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Little’s victory could be the beginning of another Republican sweep.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of sweep
Verb
  • The sisters hoped to join their mother and a brother who had fled El Salvador a few years earlier and were living in Tennessee.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Some megabillionaires have already fled California since the tax was proposed.
    — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of flee
Verb
  • Claude Fable 5 had produced a counterexample to the conjecture, much like how an ostrich is a counterexample to the conjecture that all birds can fly.
    — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Jimmy Louis, 70, who was flying with his two children, last flew to Haiti two years ago.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of fly
Adjective
  • The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory will reenter Earth's atmosphere in an uncontrolled fashion, after a robotic rescue mission failed to boost the scope to a higher orbit.
    — Leonard David, Space.com, 1 Nov. 2026
  • But for people with uncontrolled hypertension or coronary disease, spiking stress adds strain.
    — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of uncontrolled
Noun
  • Moody and Donalds’ victory margins statewide are far lower than the blowout performances delivered by Republicans in Florida in 2022 and 2024.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Stone was dressed as an aesthetically conscious conservative housewife with a crisp button-down shirt, A-line skirt, peroxide blowout and fake facelift sutures.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 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 7 Nov. 2026.

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