hightail

[ hahy-teyl ]

/ ˈhaɪˌteɪl /

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See synonyms for hightail on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object) Informal.

to go away or leave rapidly: Last we saw of him, he was hightailing down the street.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about hightail

hightail it, Informal. hurry; rush; scamper: Hightail it down to the grocery store and buy some bread for lunch.

Origin of hightail

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; high + tail¹, in reference to the raised tails of fleeing animals, as deer or rabbits

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hightail in a sentence

When they arrived, High-Tail had made his third round of the corral, with Jimmy still attached to the rope.
Partners of Chance|Henry Herbert Knibbs
So, as I was saying, we swipe two single-seaters from their trick airdrome and high-tail for the Russian front.
Dave Dawson on the Russian Front|R. Sidney Bowen
You sap, get this air wagon hitting on everything it's got, and high tail for Truk yourself.
Dave Dawson at Truk|Robert Sydney Bowen
Curly imparted a few particulars and rode away with a high tail.
Curly|Roger Pocock

I jest held my loop in front of some carrots and High-Tail shoves his head into it.
Partners of Chance|Henry Herbert Knibbs

British Dictionary definitions for hightail

hightail

/ (ˈhaɪˌteɪl) /

verb

(intr) informal, mainly US and Canadian to go or move in a great hurryAlso: hightail it

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hightail

Idioms about hightail

Origin of hightail

Words related to hightail

How to use hightail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hightail