RUNS AWAY Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

runs away

verb

present tense third-person singular of run away

as in escapes

to get free from a dangerous or confining situation ran away from an unhappy marriage

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in retreats

to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening the child runs away from large dogs

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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 runs away And when the guy is maybe 20 meters away, the cameraman packs up the camera and runs away. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2026 The title refers to a story-fable about a horse that runs away, only to turn up at a time of crisis. — Hillel Italie, Fortune, 1 June 2026 Garcia runs away screaming toward a third officer and drops the stick before he’s pushed down into a bed of bushes growing along the street curb. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026 Best gets out of the vehicle, then runs away with police chasing after him. — Dave Collins, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026 In this delightfully science-minded historical fiction novel, one of the main characters runs away from her family to do astronomy while the other clocks up multiple major scientific expeditions under her belt. — Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026 In this fluffy romance novel, burnt out pop star Amelia Rose runs away in the middle of the night to the Hallmark-worthy town of Rome. — Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2026 The organ is dropped on the floor and a dog in the waiting room, who'd accidentally consumed marijuana, snaps it up and runs away with it. — Ana Calderone, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025 Their away form is a conundrum for Howe, who, at different times, has presided over a Newcastle team that has gone on both long unbeaten and winless runs away from St James’ Park. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for runs away

Verb

From solo escapes to six-person group campouts, the Campanero trailer is built from the ground up to serve as a modular platform for comfortable overnighting.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026
Malo Knitwear specialist Malo offered a transitional wardrobe befitting the earlier days of spring in the city through to summer escapes on the Spanish island of Menorca.

— Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of escapes

Verb

The front retreats to the north, but chances of rain stick around into early Friday as the shortwave (small disturbance) pushes out of the area.

— Michael Autovino, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
Havelock neither retreats to the closet nor holds out hope for resolution via vigilante justice.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of retreats

Verb

Cora, the granddaughter of a woman kidnapped from West Africa and sold into slavery, flees her captor’s plantation, plunging her into the book’s alternate steampunk reality where she is pursued by the merciless slave catcher Ridgeway.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
As the dust settles, John flees, but Zoe comes with a gun to finish off Hal in the rubble.

— Joe Otterson, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of flees

Verb

After living in the City of Lights for more than a decade, the designer said he was drawn to its features, which informed his palette that runs from sky blues to Seine greens, via tones inspired by its typical stone buildings.

— Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2026
Every action is decisive and cannot be reversed, just as the film runs ever forward through the projector.

— Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of runs

Verb

Then, the unit bolts to the van, becoming a secure load that happens to contain a full living suite.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2026
When a company bolts AI on without building it into the way the company works, the company can end up paying a great deal of money for a capability its competitors already share.

— Mohamed Khater, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of bolts

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runs amok

runs away

runs by

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“Runs away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runs%20away. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of runs away

verb

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