runaway

[ ruhn-uh-wey ]

/ ˈrʌn əˌweɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR runaway ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who runs away; fugitive; deserter.

a horse or team that has broken away from control.

the act of running away.

a decisive or easy victory.

a young person, especially a teenager, who has run away from home.

adjective

having run away; escaped; fugitive.

(of a horse or other animal) having escaped from the control of the rider or driver.

pertaining to or accomplished by running away or eloping: a runaway marriage.

easily won, as a contest: a runaway victory at the polls.

unchecked; rampant: runaway prices.

Informal. deserting or revolting against one's group, duties, expected conduct, or the like, especially to establish or join a rival group, change one's life drastically, etc.: The runaway delegates nominated their own candidate.

Nearby words

Origin of runaway

First recorded in 1505–15; noun, adj. use of verb phrase run away

SYNONYMS FOR runaway

9 absolute, complete, perfect.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR runaway ON THESAURUS.COM

Examples from the Web for runaway

In other words, runaway defense spending is a bipartisan problem.
Merry Christmas, Defense Contractors!|Veronique de Rugy|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the runaway best example of the game is another cluster of British luxury vehicles—Range Rover, Land Rover and Jaguar.
Nationalism on Four Wheels|Clive Irving|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Runaway corporations benefited from those policies but want U.S. companies to pay their share of the tab.
The Democrats Have Found a New Boogeyman, and It’s Burger King|Tim Mak|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Godzilla and X-Men: Days of Future Past both did well at the box office, but neither were runaway success stories.
Is the Summer Blockbuster Dead?|Kevin Fallon|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Kelly Michaels became a mini-celebrity on release, a victim of runaway investigators.
How the ‘Witch Hunt’ Myth Undermined American Justice|Jason Berry|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the man be truly a runaway, said Sir Walter, and of an able body, he will be right welcome; for we have but few labourers.
Hildebrand|Anonymous
This runaway marriage would be a dreadful dishonour to me, if it were followed by a life of lazy dependence on my wife's fortune.
John Marchmont's Legacy, Volumes I-III|Mary E. Braddon
Reason: an exasperated parent who had followed from Meru for the purpose of reclaiming his runaway offspring.
The Land of Footprints|Stewart Edward White
There has been an escape, and a sharp watch is held to keep the runaway in the town.
Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 366, April, 1846|Various
On the up trip, the Governor's party met one man, who afterward proved to be a runaway thief from Detroit.
The Country of the Neutrals|James H. Coyne

Word Origin and History for runaway

runaway

1540s, "one who flees," from verbal phrase, from run (v.) + away (adv.). Meaning "an act of running away" is from 1724.

runaway

noun

adjective

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Origin of runaway

Examples from the Web for runaway

Word Origin and History for runaway

runaway