runs away

verb

present tense third-person singular of run away
1
as in escapes
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation ran away from an unhappy marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in retreats
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 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
  1. escapes
  2. retreats
  3. flees
  4. flies
  5. runs off
  6. runs
  7. bolts
Verb
  • The results highlight just how broad America's autumn appeal has become, stretching from classic New England escapes to Rocky Mountain landscapes and Pacific Northwest river gorges.
    — Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Odysseus escapes the attack aboard his lone remaining ship, sailing on to the island of the sorceress Circe.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of escapes
Verb
  • The mountain range is just a short distance from Balmoral, the Scottish castle and estate where the royal family annually retreats in late summer.
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026
  • The footage then appears to show the person attempting to kick the sea lion again as the animal retreats from its resting spot.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 27 July 2026
Definition of retreats
Verb
  • When her best friend’s family suddenly flees under suspicious circumstances, taking her away with them, 10-year-old Lucía gathers her gang to launch a plan inspired by their favorite superheroes.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026
  • Dunn, having none of it, stabs Dickie 20 times with a broken liquor bottle–with pants around his ankles, no less–while Alma flees out a window.
    — EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
Definition of flees
Verb
  • As the drone flies, the rushing wind sweeps through the wing, naturally cooling the receiver’s back.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 July 2026
  • Anyone who frequently flies with Hawaiian Airlines or Alaska Airlines will get the most value out of this card.
    — Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 29 July 2026
Definition of flies
Verb
  • When rain falls on parking lots, water runs off carrying metal dust and chemicals from vehicle tires and brake pads, oil and grease from engines and bacteria from trash.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
  • Philadelphia responded by scoring five runs off Miami’s bullpen — four against Cade Gibson and Tyler Zuber in the sixth, one off John King in the eighth — to go up 7-5.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 July 2026
Definition of runs off
Verb
  • Stone runs it with his brother, Luke, and named it after their grandmother, who lived on a farm outside Melbourne.
    — Esha Chhabra, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • And his batting run value (which measures how many runs a hitter adds or loses for their team) is a whopping (or dismal) -14.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of runs
Verb
  • This episode, Zack wakes up and bolts upright with the bandage still on his head from getting clobbered with a sign on his birthday and can’t remember what happened the night before.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 9 July 2026
  • When spinach bolts, the plant focuses its energy on producing flowers and seeds rather than leaves.
    — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of bolts

Browse Nearby Words

runs amok
runs away
runs by
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Runs away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runs%20away. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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