runaway
Americannoun
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runaways
plural
adjective
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having run away; escaped; fugitive.
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(of a horse or other animal) having escaped from the control of the rider or driver.
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pertaining to or accomplished by running away or eloping.
a runaway marriage.
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easily won, as a contest.
a runaway victory at the polls.
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unchecked; rampant.
runaway prices.
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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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of runaway
First recorded in 1505–15; noun, adj. use of verb phrase run away
Explanation
A runaway is a person — often a child or teenager — who leaves home. A runaway is usually unhappy at home, and most runaways have families that are desperate to find them. A kid who grabs some snacks and hides out all night in his neighbor's tree house is one kind of runaway — a more serious runaway is a teenager who hitchhikes to a city and lives on the street or in a shelter. You can also use the word as an adjective to mean "out of control," like a runaway car rolling down a hill with no driver, or a movie that's a runaway success, making more money than anyone thought possible.
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.
See Examples For:
Even after the runaway success of its GLP-1 franchise, the company remains laser-focused on its future.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Scientists have long investigated the possibility of thermal "runaway" instability.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
Red Bull's Isack Hadjar was third fastest but has a five-place grid penalty, which will promote runaway championship leader Kimi Antonelli to third place.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Abascal's eviction catalysed long-running anger about runaway housing costs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
"Now can we please get some pizza? My stomach is rumbling like a runaway roller coaster!"
From "Sleepover Sleuths: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #1" by Carolyn Keene
A database by the Texas Runaway Slave Project, which found listings for 2,500 runaways across various Texas newspapers from the 1840s through the 1860s, also documents the frequented journey to Mexico.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
But despite those reports, deputies routinely returned runaways to their schools without effectively investigating or reporting concerns to state welfare workers.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2023
Police said the boys were runaways from a residential care facility in San Dimas, which is about 46 miles east of Santa Monica.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 8, 2023
Like Fardousa, the 23-year-old ran away from home and found herself immersed in Mogadishu's underground lifestyle consisting of fellow young runaways who have no financial support.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2023
They would be weighed, measured, at the railroad station or at the dock, and this information would be compared with the descriptions of all other known runaways.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
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