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.
That’s when Ventura police arrested Gu as she tried to run away.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
Instead, the player nicknamed “The Alien” puts a force field around the basket—making would-be attackers turn tail and run away.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
Isaac said his instinct was always to act and that his role as a volunteer meant that "if we find danger, we run toward it, we don't run away, we never run away".
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
After the crash, the judge said Longhurst "made the choice to run away with his bike".
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
He couldn’t even believe he’d been brave enough to run away.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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.
