RAN AWAY Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

ran away

verb

past tense of run away

as in escaped

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in retreated

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

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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 ran away The suspect ran away but was taken into custody hours later, Wells said. — Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 24 Aug. 2026 The second teen suspect ran away but was eventually located and arrested. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026 The suspect ran away from the scene but was arrested on a misdemeanor. — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026 Hörl intended to sell the statues for about 100 euros ($114) once the exhibition was over, meaning whoever ran away with 210 mini-Mozarts has not become an overnight millionaire. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026 Wilson grew up in Louisiana as the son of a sharecropper and ran away from home with just an elementary education. — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026 Stefanía Arteaga, the co-executive director of Carolina Migrant Network, said she’s heard from people who hid in the forest and ran away in fear during the arrests. — Diamy Wang, Charlotte Observer, 4 Aug. 2026 The sow noticed me in that same moment and ran away with her cubs along the western trail and out of sight over the ridge. — Todd Orr, Outdoor Life, 30 July 2026 With the momentum firmly established, Team White took a 91-77 after three, closed out the fourth ahead 114-108 – then ran away with it in the final frame to win by 23. — Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 29 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ran away

Verb

In the mechanical maintenance shop, five employees and the foreman escaped, but two were killed from exposure to the chemical, the report said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Simpson escaped pressure and rolled out to his left before firing a pass to diving receiver Brennan Presley for a touchdown.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of escaped

Verb

Lake Washington is a 200-foot-deep trough carved by glaciers that retreated 16,000 years ago.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
Galliano retreated from public life for two years and was found guilty by a Paris court of public insults based on religion, race and ethnicity.

— Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of retreated

Verb

The Hall of Fame coach is taking over for D’Anton Lynn, who bolted for his alma mater Penn State after two meh seasons.

— Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Flipping the lecture cycle Classically, engineering courses default to hours of lectures where students are expected to take notes, with problem sets and exams bolted on.

— Jason Corso, Time, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of bolted

Verb

Junior quarterback Aaron McCormack, who is the coach’s son and ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Justin Slaven, is among the teammates who quickly came to appreciate Harris’ talents.

— Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
The business advocacy group that ran the campaign also denied that AI was used.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of ran

Verb

Adames also committed an error on a routine grounder in the bottom of the seventh that could’ve spelled disaster, but Houser got out of the inning unscathed.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
When Bowie got out of the vehicle, with the inert gun and explosive, she was arrested by the FBI.

— Lila Dominus, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of got out

Browse Nearby Words

ran amok

ran away

ran by

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“Ran away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran%20away. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ran away

verb

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