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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
The would-be thief then fell to the ground before running away. — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 But, according to Jazmin, Nora had jumped out of the car at an intersection and started running away. — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 After two shots, the bear reportedly rose and began running away. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026 And with the Brewers already a lock for the postseason and running away with the top overall seed, it's given rise to questions about the most advisable course of action for the 24-year-old. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Security camera footage shows the shocking moment flood water crashes through the Nepal-China border area, with people seen running away as the water appears to wipe out everything in its path. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026 After nine consecutive losses against the Minnesota Lynx, the Valkyries finally broke through on Monday night in Minneapolis, setting the tone early and running away with the game late in the fourth quarter en route to a 80-66 win. — Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026 Video shows the group, wearing overalls, pulling themselves out from underground and running away. — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026 This may cause a person to feel like running away or fighting back—flight or fight. — Michele Patterson Ford, Scientific American, 22 Aug. 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
  • Officers responded to a call about shots fired a few blocks away from Beale Street and saw a person armed with a gun leaving, said Memphis police.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Are there concerns in the club over Hughes and his leaving, and the effect of that on the planning and way this summer transfer window has gone?
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of leaving
Verb
  • The victim can be seen running full speed away from a man chasing him down with a knife before escaping into a building in a harrowing video taken from a surveillance camera, posted on X by Crown Heights Shmira.
    — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • There’s no escaping the feeling of this mass, and no magic feats of engineering, like with Rivian or various German automakers, will mask this.
    — Joel Feder, The Drive, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of escaping
Verb
  • The Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland is now retreating up to 164 feet (50 meters) a day, Otosaka said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland is now retreating up to 164 feet a day, Otosaka said.
    — Seth Borenstein, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of retreating
Noun
  • Clemons’ departure from both organizations is not the only shift taking place.
    — P.R. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
  • None of the feathers, crystals or excessive hardware is much of a departure for Larsson’s feet.
    — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of departure
Verb
  • The painting belonged to Jacques Goudstikker, a Jewish art dealer who was fleeing the Netherlands for England on a ship in 1940 during World War II.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This type of maritime migration is different from the once-common arrivals of rafts and other homemade vessels that Cubans are known to use to escape their homeland, and the overloaded freighters and sailboats used by people fleeing Haiti.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of fleeing
Verb
  • Or two weeks ago, flying to Frieze Seoul, 37 hours there and back, after a trip to the East Coast and Europe that was another 42.
    — Lane Brown, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Nearly $2 billion from venture capital investors has underpinned Zipline’s global business that has grown from flying medical supplies to food delivery for Uber.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of flying
Noun
  • Occasionally, particularly in the early going, the blocking and Christopher Moscatiello’s sound design seemed to be working at cross-purposes.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Some wellness darties are alcohol-free while others coexist with bar-going later in the day or function as pregames.
    — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of going
Verb
  • But surveillance footage reviewed by another deputy showed the Mustang arriving at the parking lot without anyone getting out before deputies arrived, per the citation.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Looking at the slate today, there are a lot of good games, but some lines are getting out of hand because of the matchups.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 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 26 Sep. 2026.

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