runaway
Americannoun
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runaways
plural
adjective
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having run away; escaped; fugitive.
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(of a horse or other animal) having escaped from the control of the rider or driver.
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pertaining to or accomplished by running away or eloping.
a runaway marriage.
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easily won, as a contest.
a runaway victory at the polls.
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unchecked; rampant.
runaway prices.
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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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Ray Gunn” “The field is led by Pixar’s runaway blockbuster sequel ‘Toy Story 5’ and original eco-feature ‘Hoppers.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
In June, an 18-year-old tourist from India was killed after being thrown from a runaway carriage in Central Park, spurring lawmakers to take action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Even after the runaway success of its GLP-1 franchise, the company remains laser-focused on its future.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Scientists have long investigated the possibility of thermal "runaway" instability.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
“The Moon Witch in the Red Woods,” “Sinchi and the Cliffs of Nowhere,” and another one about giants and a runaway king.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
She also had a stuffed kitten named John Grady Cole, the hero’s name in McCarthy’s “The Border Trilogy,” which follows three runaways who have a stolen Colt revolver.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2024
The runaways were safely shepherded back to their owner.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2023
But despite those reports, deputies routinely returned runaways to their schools without effectively investigating or reporting concerns to state welfare workers.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2023
Police said the boys were runaways from a residential care facility in San Dimas, which is about 46 miles east of Santa Monica.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 8, 2023
The runaways, ragged, dirty, hungry, cold, did not steal the gun as they might have, and set off by themselves, or turn back.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
