RUN AWAY Synonyms: 158 Similar and Opposite Words

run away 1 of 3

verb

Definition of run away

as in to escape

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to retreat

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

runaway

2 of 3

adjective

as in rampant

showing no signs of being under control a region plagued by runaway suburban sprawl

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

runaway

3 of 3

noun

as in sweep

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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 away

Verb

Her mother, Melissa Fuller, grew up in Vineland, New Jersey, and ran away from home at fifteen; she was eventually put in foster care. — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026 In video released by police, an officer exits his vehicle and points his gun at Ryan Hinton, who appears to be running away. — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026

Adjective

Bomis briefly considered trying to monetize the site’s runaway success. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026 The trio, already established stars, had such charisma on stage that Comic Relief became a runaway success for the charity and HBO, distributing $50 million toward health care services for unhoused people across the country. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026

Noun

But those observations are more compelling when applied to Alice, a former teen-age runaway who, in another life, might have ended up where Catherine is now. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 30 July 2026 Van Dokkum was not involved in the study but did lead the 2023 team that found the potential runaway with a tail of stars. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for run away

Recent Examples of Synonyms for run away

Verb

Jaros and Rauh also try to account for the uncertainty over whether taxes can be collected from other billionaires, such as the ones who have left since the beginning of the year and may thus have a legal case for escaping the tax.

— Ramesh Ponnuru, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Arbella escaped, disguised as a man in a wig, boots and sword, with plans to flee to France with her ill-begotten husband.

— Eva Wolchover, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of escape

Verb

Longtime collaborator Erik Blood foregrounds Butler’s dry drum machines in the mix, letting every other element shuffle around them, snaking toward the spotlight for a brief moment and retreating back into the brume.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
If broadcaster partnerships are helping Netflix expand its offering in Europe and Latin America, India shows why the streamer is unlikely to retreat from investing in local originals.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of retreat

Adjective

In fact, the recent regulations from the Treasury Department do little to hide the exclusion and theft rampant in the program.

— Denise Forte, Baltimore Sun, 21 Oct. 2026
At the same time, Sanaa sympathized with the police, who were far outnumbered by vandals, many of them young men from France’s poorest suburbs, where youth unemployment is rampant.

— Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of rampant

Noun

Of those, 21 finished the sweep in Game 4, and the remaining four won the series in Game 5.

— Rob Maaddi, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
In a sweep of BLM data last week, the Center For Western Priorities identified 17 data center projects across six Western states, a figure that doesn’t count applications for supporting infrastructure.

— Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of sweep

Verb

Jaros and Rauh calculate that the state will lose money so long as 24 percent of the tax base flees, a condition that’s already been met.

— Ramesh Ponnuru, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Some senators fled while others braced themselves inside the Senate chamber as Officer Eugene Goodman tried to reason with the mob, and Senate staffers barricaded themselves in offices, hiding.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of flee

Adjective

But, in terms of returning to the field in an uncontrolled environment, Dan Lanning mentioned that he can not be cleared by the Ducks medical team for a return to live action.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
The American Society of Anesthesiologists notes that uncontrolled postoperative pain can contribute to immobility and shallow breathing, which may increase the risk for complications including blood clots and pneumonia.

— Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of uncontrolled

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runaround

run away

runaway

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Style

“Run away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/run%20away. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of run away

verb

adjective

noun

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