hightail
verb (used without object)
to go away or leave rapidly.
hightailing
-
present participleof hightail.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
McCartney happened to be visiting Lennon in New York at the time and they briefly considered shocking the world by hightailing it down to Rockefeller Center, but the idea was abandoned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2025
The brief video ends with the deer hightailing it away from the school.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 4, 2023
According to Altucher, the pandemic has turned Midtown into Ghost Town and sent his Wall Street buddies hightailing it for the exit, probably never to return.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 29, 2020
She’d even considered cashing out and hightailing it to a wine cave in the Loire Valley.
From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2014
There’s my ma, fifty-odd years old, hightailing around town with some guy while I sit here, in the prime of my youth, completely and utterly alone.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
