run away
Britishverb
-
to take flight; escape
-
to go away; depart
-
(of a horse) to gallop away uncontrollably
-
-
to abscond or elope with
he ran away with his boss's daughter
-
to make off with; steal
-
to escape from the control of
his enthusiasm ran away with him
-
to win easily or be assured of victory in (a competition)
he ran away with the race
-
noun
-
-
a person or animal that runs away
-
( as modifier )
a runaway horse
-
-
the act or an instance of running away
-
(modifier) occurring as a result of the act of eloping
a runaway wedding
-
(modifier) (of a race, victory, etc) easily won
a runaway ten-shot victory
-
Flee, escape, as in Our dog is no watchdog; he runs away from strangers , or Our six-year-old said he'd run away from home . [Late 1300s]
-
Also, run off . Leave secretly, especially to elope, as in She ran away from home when she was only thirteen , or They ran off to Maryland and got married by a justice of the peace . [Early 1600s]
-
it won't run away . An object, activity, or issue will not disappear, as in You can leave, but when you come back the mess in the kitchen will still be there—it won't run away, you know! This jocular assurance of permanence dates from the late 1800s. Also see run away with .
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.
“You promise me you no make one decision ’cause you want for run away.
From Literature
“If there had been any way, I would have run away.”
“You know, when she was sixteen, she ran away to Oklahoma. Just took off with some guy. She was—what do you call it? Rebellious.”
She said: “Do you think—if I’d agreed to take the potion, right away—if I hadn’t run away—if I’d known more—I wouldn’t have lost him?”
From Literature
You see, I was never the sort who dreamed of running away to join the circus.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
