ran away

verb

past tense of run away
1
as in escaped
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 retreated
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 ran away Lopez then ran away, and Hager fired his Taser stun gun at him, but the shock didn’t incapacitate him, according to the sheriff’s office. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026 On Wednesday, Tampa International Airport police were called to step in when Milania, 20, reportedly became emotional and ran away from her reality star mom, older sister, Gia Giudice, and a counselor traveling with the family. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 Cecilia Zandalasini scored 22 points, Gabby Williams added 20, and the second-seeded Golden State Valkyries ran away from the Dallas Wings by halftime for a 104-80 win in the teams' playoff opener Sunday night. — CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026 In the season one finale, Ellen and Brian ran away together after Ellen learned that her brother, Colum (Séamus McLean Ross), had broken his promise and tried to have Brian killed. — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026 The suspect ran away but was taken into custody hours later, Wells said. — Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ran away
  1. escaped
  2. retreated
  3. fled
  4. bolted
  5. ran off
  6. ran
  7. got out
Verb
  • On a scramble of roughly 20 yards, Katz escaped the pocket, broke tackles and juked defenders in the open field to extend the drive.
    — D’Joumbarey Moreau, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The game itself was one of the best contests of the regular season, as Clark and Cunningham escaped Atlanta with an overtime victory, avenging their earlier losses to Reese and the Dream earlier in the season.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of escaped
Verb
  • On Friday, stocks rallied as yields retreated, following a surprisingly weak September jobs report that suggested the Federal Reserve may stay on hold at this month’s policy meeting.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The militant group took over roughly one-third of Iraq after key Iraqi army divisions collapsed and retreated in the onslaught.
    — Jane Arraf, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of retreated
Verb
  • Bethea fled the scene and reportedly made no attempt to report the crash, according to court records.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • According to police, the suspect was a white male who had a bike and fled the scene.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of fled
Verb
  • Today’s approach treats accessibility as part of the architecture rather than something bolted on after a health scare.
    — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2026
  • With third base open, Crews and Abrams bolted, and both slid in safely.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of bolted
Verb
  • Near 73rd Street and Prospect, the driver lost control of the vehicle and ran off the road, police said.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026
  • During a 2021 game with Tampa Bay against the New York Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers and effectively ending his career.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of ran off
Verb
  • On Wednesday, the evening before they were set to dock, the mood seemed far more jovial aboard the ship; sailors were chatting and laughing, some were running a 5K around a deck now free of aircraft.
    — Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Fishing has long dried up in Snook’s Arm, so Calvin and his son Wade (Charlie Heaton) make a living by collecting ice for a local vodka brewery and running an Airbnb out of their home.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of ran
Verb
  • Renee stopped their red SUV in the street and honked her horn to warn people about the operation while Becca got out and started recording video with her cellphone.
    — Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The 37-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, later pulled over on the side of the interstate, got out of his car and pulled out a gun, police said.
    — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of got out

Browse Nearby Words

ran amok
ran away
ran by
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ran away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran%20away. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inscrutable

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All