RUNNING AWAY Synonyms: 104 Similar and Opposite Words

running away 1 of 2

noun

as in leaving

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Dissimilar Words

running away

2 of 2

verb

present participle of run away

as in escaping

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in retreating

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 running away

Verb

Security camera footage shows the shocking moment flood water crashes through the Nepal-China border area, with people seen running away as the water appears to wipe out everything in its path. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026 After nine consecutive losses against the Minnesota Lynx, the Valkyries finally broke through on Monday night in Minneapolis, setting the tone early and running away with the game late in the fourth quarter en route to a 80-66 win. — Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026 According to police, Moore then dragged one of the women along the street before running away. — Jessica Riley, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 Video shows the group, wearing overalls, pulling themselves out from underground and running away. — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026 This may cause a person to feel like running away or fighting back—flight or fight. — Michele Patterson Ford, Scientific American, 22 Aug. 2026 While the previous games were stealth-focused, Sophia is more aggressive and ready to fight her pursuers rather than just running away. — ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026 In the Jurassic movies, characters are mostly reduced to constantly running away, with only bad guys ever fighting back. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026 After underperforming for much of this year, financial stocks are now running away as a group, with just about every corner of the sprawling industry offering something compelling for investors. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for running away

Noun

Officers responded to a call about shots fired a few blocks away from Beale Street and saw a person armed with a gun leaving, said Memphis police.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
Are there concerns in the club over Hughes and his leaving, and the effect of that on the planning and way this summer transfer window has gone?

— James Pearce, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of leaving

Verb

This is because the material that serves as the building blocks for planets is constantly escaping the swirling platters of gas and dust, or protoplanetary disks, that wrap around infant stars.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Fuller’s ideas are hard to summarize, but always seem to reach toward a utopian vision of escaping the drudgery of everyday life.

— Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of escaping

Verb

Stepping into the public sphere rather than retreating became both a survival strategy and a refuge—an assertion of political and artistic self-determination.

— Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
The player reported that the man had opened a knife and moved toward him before retreating into his room.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of retreating

Noun

Katseye’s departure from Daisy Chain Fields comes while the group, which debuted as a six-member group, remains down two singers.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Compared, say, with the 1990s here, the suite of departures to points near and far is formidable.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of departure

Verb

Surveillance video from the Cedar Glenn complex showed Brunson, Newman, and another unnamed co-defendant jumping a fence, approaching a Chevrolet Suburban, and fleeing after being confronted by a witness.

— Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
Horrifying surveillance video circulating online shows people fleeing before the mudslide hits and a deluge crashes down on them.

— Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of fleeing

Verb

Grichuk put a good swing on a slider while flying out to left field.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
It was later revealed that the plane had been overloaded by 700 pounds and the pilot, who had cocaine and alcohol in his system, was not authorized to be flying, according to CBS.

— Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of flying

Browse Nearby Words

running amok

running away

running by

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Style

“Running away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/running%20away. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of running away

noun

verb

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