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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

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

Verb

According to the report, most of the cancer risk - 74% - comes from a single pollutant, benzo[a]pyrene, that escapes through leaks in pipe fittings and storage tanks.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
From beachfront retreats in Miami to remote escapes off the coast of Newfoundland, these are the best of the best hotels across the US and Canada.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of escapes

Verb

With the bulk of his work at practice done for the day, Achord retreats to the back of the end zone with Koonz, squatting and scribbling something on paper.

— Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Twice a day, the tide retreats from the shoreline, sometimes for up to two miles.

— Kim Foley MacKinnon, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of retreats

Verb

At the end of the 2001 film, Rodriguez’s Letty flees the country.

— Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
Holden eagerly rebels against Pencey Prep, gets the boot, and flees to New York City, a place with its own vices and hazards, but without the sort of propaganda and pretense that obscure the school’s dark underside.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of flees

Verb

Delta Air Lines flies direct between Atlanta and Johannesburg and is expected to launch service between Atlanta and Cape Town later this year.

— Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Aug. 2026
Hig flies old Cessna planes into Denver for supplies and makes occasional deliveries to a local Mennonite community led by Aaron (Benedict Wong).

— Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of flies

Verb

Sebold’s was the third such attack in Thornden Park, which runs alongside the campus, in about seven months.

— Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026
The center runs workshops on how to build air purifiers, how to measure heat and temperature in homes, and teaches solutions for treating those problems.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 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

Browse Nearby Words

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 30 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of runs away

verb

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