1
as in to escape
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
ran away from an unhappy marriage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to retreat
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the child runs away from large dogs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rampant
showing no signs of being under control
a region plagued by runaway suburban sprawl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sweep
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 run away
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 Mar. 2025
Her oldest son, Noah, 7, tried to run away, but Yates wrestled him into the tub and drowned him, too.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025
Instead, what the French jeweler got was a runaway success that attracted a whole new clientele and has now been consistently in the top three bestselling lines for the past five years.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 5 Mar. 2025
Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025
Of those cases, approximately 95% were labeled as runaways, data shows.
—Amanda Musa, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for run away
Verb
Pike plays the depressed paramedic Maddie, while Rhys plays her problem-solving husband Frank, a middle-aged Welsh couple whose teenage daughter Alice (voiced by Megan McDonnell) has run away after a massive row.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 Mar. 2025
Her oldest son, Noah, 7, tried to run away, but Yates wrestled him into the tub and drowned him, too.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Mistrial in rape case A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in a Gary man’s rape trial for assaulting a 16-year-old runaway girl, court records show.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025
Instead, what the French jeweler got was a runaway success that attracted a whole new clientele and has now been consistently in the top three bestselling lines for the past five years.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
Ventura County firefighters were dispatched at 9:30 a.m. and determined the battery of the Volvo XC90 was in a state of thermal runaway, a chemical chain reaction that causes the temperature to rise uncontrollably, said fire engineer Andrew Dowd.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025
Of those cases, approximately 95% were labeled as runaways, data shows.
—Amanda Musa, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for run away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for run away
Verb
-
Duterte withdrew the Philippines in 2019 from the Rome Statute, the court’s founding treaty, in a move human rights activists say was aimed at escaping accountability.—
Jim Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Without cellphone service, and fearing that his driver might have a weapon, the then 32-year-old Ugandan felt powerless to escape.—
Amy Gunia,
CNN,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Bell / Getty Images Stock futures initially surged on the report, then retreated.—
Rob Wile,
NBC News,
12 Mar. 2025
-
So the women’s struggle has not only forced the Islamic Republic to retreat, but also created cracks in the patriarchal structures of Iranian society.—
Narges Mohammadi,
TIME,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Child labor and street crime were rampant, with some youngsters turning to theft for sustenance.—
Peter Zablocki,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Burnout is rampant, employee trust is fragile, and businesses that fail to cultivate genuine workplace culture are losing talent fast.—
Nell Derick Debevoise,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Florida also completed a three-game season sweep of Columbus.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2025
-
San Marcos senior Cassidy Allison can achieve a career sweep of twin titles after prevailing in the Division 1 200 individual medley (2:00.25) and the 100 butterfly (54.90) last year.—
Glae Thien,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Northcott fled to Canada, but was arrested soon after.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
15 Mar. 2025
-
On March 1, police descended upon Dallas’ Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, where the championship was holding its second day competitions, as a stampede of cheerleaders, coaches and parents ran fleeing from what many believed to be an active shooter situation.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
So, is Disney’s newest leading man taken or flying solo?—
Jenzia Burgos,
StyleCaster,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Deportations fly in the face of judicial orders, careening the country toward a constitutional crisis.—
Brian Barrett,
WIRED,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Grass seed stored in a garage or storage shed—uncontrolled environments—generally last only a year or two, according to McCausland.—
Lauren David,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Mar. 2025
-
There was also evidence of uncontrolled inflammatory response in the brains of older rats after three days, identified through a change in levels of proteins known as cytokines.—
Stephanie Edwards,
Discover Magazine,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
This game was a blowout from start to finish with the Jaguars caught in a crossfire hurricane.—
Patrick Saunders,
The Denver Post,
12 Mar. 2025
-
March may bring more of the same Bitcoin could return to pre-election levels after this week’s selloff, says Wolfe Coinbase just reported a blowout fourth quarter.—
Tanaya Macheel,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Run away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/run%20away. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share