1
as in to out
to drive or force out
the dog often ran off cats and other animals that had intruded upon his owner's property
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to escape
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
their rebellious daughter's run off because she was disciplined again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to retreat
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the mouse ran off as soon as it saw us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fresh
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of run off
Ryan Brennan
may 1, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
By loosening that structure, dandelions help rainwater penetrate deeper rather than running off the surface.
—Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
Ricardo Delgado, San Antonio Express-News, 3 May 2026
In the runoff, however, she was defeated by Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who benefited from a broad coalition of voters opposed to her candidacy.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for run off
Verb
That allows water to soak in more effectively instead of running off — a real benefit in suburban yards where soil compaction is common.
—Ryan Brennan
may 1, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
By loosening that structure, dandelions help rainwater penetrate deeper rather than running off the surface.
—Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
Noun
In District 6, challenger Nikki Shaw and incumbent Council Member April Ryan are headed to a runoff.
—Ricardo Delgado, San Antonio Express-News, 3 May 2026
In the runoff, however, she was defeated by Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who benefited from a broad coalition of voters opposed to her candidacy.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for run off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for run off
Verb
-
Before Imai’s appearance in Corpus Christi on Tuesday, Espada expressed cautious optimism that the 27-year-old right-hander would need only one minor-league rehab outing before returning to the major-league rotation.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
So says Leslie Fremar, outing herself as the real-life inspiration for Emily, the uptight first assistant to fictional magazine editor Miranda Priestly.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But, though the guns of war were a decade in the past, the nation had not escaped the spectre of conflict.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The show follows a couple who accidentally wander into Schmigadoon, a town where every day is a musical and the only bridge to escape leads to nowhere.—
Caroline Killilea,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Coe reportedly was hospitalized several years ago with Covid-19 and had mostly retreated from public appearances since then, though it is not known whether Covid played a part in his passing.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Or, retreat to peaceful Bluffside Gardens with ultramodern cabins that offer direct trail access.—
Sarah Miller,
Midwest Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
College seniors Laila Edwards, Lacey Eden and Kirsten Simms are coming into the draft fresh off Wisconsin’s Frozen Four championship this spring.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Keep your laundry fresh and your machine running smoothly by avoiding this common detergent mistake.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Pautler recommends ejecting pods after each use, as well as occasionally rinsing removable parts of the machines.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton was ejected from Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals series against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center after striking Houston All-Star center Alperen Şengün in the head with his left forearm.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One of the drivers involved fled the scene on foot before first-responders arrived, according to authorities.—
Austin Turner,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
-
The driver fled, and deputies followed.—
Ciara McCarthy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
By the final showdown, the production has made use of every bit of stage space, with sensational flying sequences (choreographed by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant) that allow the vampires to float, hover, and—in one especially intense moment—dive from that bridge.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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Worst of all, like Zoolander 2 did before it, the film badly miscalculates the value of showbiz and industry cameos, which reach critical mass when the team members fly to Milan and, weirdly, only one of the latter (Donatella Versace, having an awkward lunch with Emily) seems to work.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Two and a half feet of rain beat down upon the face of the San Gabriels, wiping out the rustic resorts wedged into the canyons, and chuting runoff waters down onto the plain along ancient dry rivulets and freshets and canyons that Angelenos had forgotten or never known about.—
Patt MorrisonColumnist,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2023
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The Hudson River had a little current, fed by freshets from upstream with local rains, and melting snow farther up, in the Adirondacks.—
Ian Frazier,
The New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Run off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/run%20off. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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