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Synonyms

cut and run

Idioms  
  1. Clear out, escape, desert, as in He wished he could just cut and run. This term originally (about 1700) meant to cut a vessel's anchor cable and make sail at once. By the mid-1800s it was being used figuratively. Charles Dickens had it in Great Expectations (1861): “I'd give a shilling if they had cut and run.” Also see cut out, def. 7.


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.

How many cut and run following the 21 years Berkshire’s growth lagged the S&P 500 or the 11 years its value fell?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

The one thing you shouldn’t do is cut and run, because one couple is in a lot of trouble for doing just that.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2025

In No 10, "we don't think there is a cut and run", a senior source says.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2025

The pay package, he said, “is not actually cash, and I can’t cut and run, nor would I want to.”

From New York Times • Jun. 14, 2024

And the way she was looking at the guy...Yeah, was it any wonder that he decided it was best to cut and run?

From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau

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