runaway

American  

[ruhn-uh-wey] / ˈrʌn əˌweɪ /

noun

1. a person who runs away; fugitive; deserter.

2. a horse or team that has broken away from control.

3. the act of running away.

4. a decisive or easy victory.

5. a young person, especially a teenager, who has run away from home.

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adjective

1. having run away; escaped; fugitive.

2. (of a horse or other animal) having escaped from the control of the rider or driver.

3. pertaining to or accomplished by running away or eloping.

   a runaway marriage.

4. easily won, as a contest.

   a runaway victory at the polls.

   Synonyms:

   complete, absolute

5. unchecked; rampant.

   runaway prices.

6. Informal. deserting or revolting against one's group, duties, expected conduct, or the like, especially to establish or join a rival group, change one's life drastically, etc..

   The runaway delegates nominated their own candidate.

Etymology

Origin of runaway

First recorded in 1505–15; noun, adj. use of verb phrase run away

Explanation

A runaway is a person — often a child or teenager — who leaves home. A runaway is usually unhappy at home, and most runaways have families that are desperate to find them. A kid who grabs some snacks and hides out all night in his neighbor's tree house is one kind of runaway — a more serious runaway is a teenager who hitchhikes to a city and lives on the street or in a shelter. You can also use the word as an adjective to mean "out of control," like a runaway car rolling down a hill with no driver, or a movie that's a runaway success, making more money than anyone thought possible.

Example Sentences

The industry has been well aware of the risks of the types of chemical accidents that can lead to a thermal runaway reaction, posing the risk of an explosion.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

My fellow runaway Kathy, working the same shift, ran over to say, “She almost left $100. She had it in her hand but hesitated!”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

The phrase is used to described the final phase of a runaway bull market that has gotten well over its skis.

From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026

Paz came to power six months ago, in the midst of the country's worst economic crisis since the 1980s, marked by acute shortages of fuel and foreign currency and runaway inflation.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

She craned her neck over the side of Hanuman’s hand, as if she could catch sight of a runaway thief.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

Related Words

• rampant
• unbridled
• unchecked
• uncontrolled
• unrestrained