run off 1 of 2

verb

Definition of run offnext
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

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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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

runoff

2 of 2

noun

as in fresh

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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 off
Verb
Garcia confirmed that the vehicle’s driver and a passenger got out and ran off without calling for help or rendering any aid to the pedestrians. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026 Such tasks usually require a data center, but the stack of Macs runs off one wall outlet. — Stephen Nellis, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026
Noun
When a big storm hits the northern Sierra, the Feather River’s runoff lands in Lake Oroville, behind the nation’s tallest dam, and the Yuba’s lands in New Bullards Bar. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026 Excessive runoff could flood rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying, flood-prone areas. — Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for run off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for run off
  1. out
  2. escape
  3. retreat
  4. fresh
  5. eject
  6. flee
  7. fly
  8. freshet
Verb
  • Bunnie Xo’s post-divorce fun is raising eyebrows after a cozy Waffle House outing with 24-year-old reality star Dylan Wolf sent fans into a frenzy over their age gap.
    — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian stepped out for a very rare family outing with their two daughters.
    — Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of out
Verb
  • This comes after companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google disclosed recent incidents in which their AI models escaped their sandboxes and attempted to hack other companies and access their computer systems.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The incidents range in scope from agents escaping their sandboxes and gaining access to the internet to agents deleting conversations so humans can't monitor their activity, Mills said.
    — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of escape
Verb
  • The militant group took over roughly one-third of Iraq after key Iraqi army divisions collapsed and retreated in the onslaught.
    — Jane Arraf, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The Taurus Moon opposes Venus across your career and home zones, making recognition, responsibility, or visibility compete with the desire to retreat somewhere familiar.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of retreat
Noun
  • Moore, fresh-faced in a pink button-down, having just received raves at Telluride for The Debut, placed her cheek directly next to mine to share her memories.
    — Rachel Handler, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
  • How To Remove Lingering Odors or Mildew Smells To tackle lingering odors or mildew smells, try adding one cup of white vinegar to the wash cycle, which helps break down odor-causing bacteria and leaves your bath mat smelling fresh.
    — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of fresh
Verb
  • Thankfully, the emergency abort escape system ejected their Soyuz space capsule from the top of the rocket just two seconds before the fire caused the explosion.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The crash triggered an emergency response near Morro Bay, where the pilot was rescued after ejecting from the aircraft.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of eject
Verb
  • After war broke out over religious and political differences in 1642, people had to flee when their villages became war zones, while other places were filled with desperate refugees.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The driver fled north on Highway 113 and crossed back into Sutter County.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of flee
Verb
  • Iran has said the bombers flying from the base have been used for strikes beyond the original remit and indicated that a base used to attack its territory is a legitimate target.
    — Pan Pylas, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • In 2025, a playoff game in Baltimore between the Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers was paused due to a drone flying overhead.
    — Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of fly
Noun
  • 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
  • As August turned to September, the sun dropped and the first cold freshet of autumn rainwater flowed out of the mountains and tickled the noses of the salmon waiting off Astoria, where the Columbia meets the Pacific Ocean.
    — Patrick Symmes, Harper's magazine, 28 Oct. 2019
Definition of freshet

Browse Nearby Words

runny
run off
runoff
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Cite this Entry

“Run off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/run%20off. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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