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
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Recent Examples of runs away
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
When, as in this instance, 2,500 people vote on 50 names and one runs away with it, something else is at play.
—Anthony Shore, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
Following the shooting, the individual jumps from a rooftop and runs away from the location.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
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
When, as in this instance, 2,500 people vote on 50 names and one runs away with it, something else is at play.
—Anthony Shore, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
Following the shooting, the individual jumps from a rooftop and runs away from the location.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for runs away
Verb
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Farm stays are far from new, but travelers are showing a resounding new interest in rural, back-to-the-land escapes.—
Jen Murphy,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Austin escapes the clinic through the ceiling and calls Eunice from a cab to the police station.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As Siâvash increasingly retreats into imaginary characters, the documentary traces a sibling relationship shaped and strained by displacement, set against a backdrop of escalating tension between Iran and the United States that carries personal consequences for both subjects.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Garcia retreats, the video shows.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Searchlight is in development on Lottery, a Permut Presentations drama about a young man with Down syndrome who, after winning the lottery, flees his estranged mother and hits the road with a charming new friend who has ulterior motives of her own.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Following a violent outburst from Robert, Nancy gets in her car and flees in the last scene of the episode.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Vertical flies under an arrangement that has been accumulating evidence toward certification for three years.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The National Guard unit flies F-16 Fighting Falcon jet aircraft.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nick Castellanos singled home two runs off reliever Ben Brown with two outs in the fifth to give the Padres a 6-5 lead.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Earlier on Sunday, Sai Sudharsan continued his fine form with 87 runs off 46 balls as Gujarat Titans strolled to an eight-wicket win over host Chennai Super Kings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Tyler Fever, who runs the YouTube channel Prop Department, took the already tiny Festiva and chopped it to pieces, ultimately creating a roughly shopping-cart-sized contraption that resembles something out of The Flintstones.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
30 Apr. 2026
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For instance, Google built a system called OSS-Fuzz that runs fuzzers continuously, around the clock, on thousands of software projects.—
Evan Johnson,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If Leonard bolts, the Clippers will look to rebuild around young point guard Darius Garland, who came to the team in the Harden trade.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
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With that in mind, here are a few free agent options who could fit the Yankees if Bellinger bolts.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Runs away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runs%20away. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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