running away 1 of 2

noun

as in leaving

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running away

2 of 2

verb

present participle of run away
1
as in escaping
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation ran away from an unhappy marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

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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 running away
Verb
On Saturday, July 4, the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department rescued a dog that had fallen into a well after running away scared from the sound of fireworks. — Emily Harter, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2026 Crews were back out on Saturday to search for a man who Elgin police said was running away with a large knife and went into the Fox River after an incident Friday morning. — Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 27 June 2026 The bear bit through flesh and bone, dragging him for about 20 feet before dropping him and running away. — Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald, 8 June 2026 The bear bit through flesh and bone, dragging him for about 20 feet before dropping him and running away. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026 Woman faceplants running away from bison. — David Hookstead Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026 The one who wouldn’t stop running away? — Literary Hub, 26 May 2026 Liza Demming, who lives two houses down from where most of the victims were shot, said her security camera captured video of the suspect running away along with the sound of two shots. — ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026 Liza Demming, who lives two houses down from where most of the victims were shot, said her security camera captured video of the suspect running away along with the sound of two shots. — Gerald Herbert, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for running away
  1. leaving
  2. escaping
  3. retreating
  4. departure
  5. fleeing
  6. flying
  7. going
  8. getting out
Noun
  • Spurs finished 17th in each of the past two seasons and, while Gordon and Isak leaving was frustrating, that was also understandable.
    — David Ornstein, New York Times, 1 July 2026
  • The students, who were taking their secondary school leaving examinations when they were attacked and abducted, are between 15 and 18 years old.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 June 2026
Definition of leaving
Verb
  • Mariano Rivera earned his 400th save, escaping two jams and getting six outs to preserve the New York Yankees’ 6-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
  • After all, even Earth's helium is slowly escaping our own atmosphere.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 16 July 2026
Definition of escaping
Verb
  • Cardinal and Lilly also set fresh record closes last week, before retreating modestly, as J & J has, in recent sessions.
    — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 14 July 2026
  • And larger investors were already retreating from the single-family market.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of retreating
Noun
  • One employee took responsibility for not catching the boys’ early and unapproved departure.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
  • And that made his recent comments about former Blue Jays coach Don Mattingly especially noteworthy, as his departure for the Philadelphia Phillies has raised questions about whether the Blue Jays batting order can succeed without him.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of departure
Verb
  • More than 500 people fleeing violence in Myanmar are feared dead after two boats disappeared in rough conditions off the country’s coast, according to two UN migration bodies.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • In 1994 Goma and surrounding areas received hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing from the genocide and subsequent military operations that occurred in Rwanda that year, leading to a humanitarian crisis.
    — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 2026
Definition of fleeing
Verb
  • After flying toward a naval target over the Black Sea, the aircraft launched one of the supersonic missiles from a stand-off distance exceeding 120 kilometers, successfully destroying its target.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
  • The Piper Tomahawk had been taken on a test flight by a flying instructor in his 20s after a part was replaced on the plane, the airline said.
    — Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of flying
Noun
  • Gold Tables may begin with regular diners, but the larger opportunity is to make restaurant-going feel more habitual, more social and more connected to the OpenTable ecosystem.
    — Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • Micron, Marvell Technology and Intel were all down between 4% and 6% in the early going.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
Definition of going
Verb
  • Most of the first episode gives us Lucky on the run, getting out of the hotel and out of Vegas, and across the tops of a field of big rigs.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • There’s a big difference between selecting a film to stream from your bed and getting out of the house, going to a store and talking about movies with a clerk and fellow film enthusiasts.
    — Rotem Rozental, Fortune, 14 July 2026
Definition of getting out

Browse Nearby Words

running amok
running away
running by
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Cite this Entry

“Running away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/running%20away. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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