runs off

verb

present tense third-person singular of run off
1
as in outs
to drive or force out the dog often ran off cats and other animals that had intruded upon his owner's property

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2
as in escapes
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation their rebellious daughter's run off because she was disciplined again

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in retreats
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening the mouse ran off as soon as it saw us

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of runs off Her mount, meanwhile, is frightened by lightning and runs off. — Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026 Seattle never trailed in this one, scoring seven runs off Dustin May (6-8) in the first two innings. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026 When the cashier opens the register, the suspect pulls out a knife, reaches over the counter, grabs the cash, and runs off. — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026 After scoring the equalizer in the ninth, the Astros scored three runs off Jason Foley to take the lead for good. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026 The Mets lost the lead in the bottom of the seventh when Dedniel Nuñez gave up two unearned runs, but rallied in the ninth to take two runs off closer Cade Smith, tying the game at 5-5. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026 When rain falls on parking lots, water runs off carrying metal dust and chemicals from vehicle tires and brake pads, oil and grease from engines and bacteria from trash. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 Any water that runs off can take essential nutrients along with it. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 July 2026 Philadelphia responded by scoring five runs off Miami’s bullpen — four against Cade Gibson and Tyler Zuber in the sixth, one off John King in the eighth — to go up 7-5. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for runs off
  1. outs
  2. escapes
  3. retreats
  4. chases
  5. flees
  6. flies
  7. ejects
  8. runs away
Verb
  • Ezekiel Richardson outs himself as a spy for the Continental Army to Claire.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Luckily, the king’s favorite wife, Esther, outs herself as Jewish.
    — Betsy Andrews, Saveur, 20 Feb. 2026
Definition of outs
Verb
  • But as Marty Supreme proved last year, debuting after the rest of the competition can also feel a bit like being the lone straggler in a bike race who escapes the cascading crash that takes out everyone else.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Jordan, who escapes relatively unscathed, is at once cowed and traumatized yet committed to vengeance.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of escapes
Verb
  • Havelock neither retreats to the closet nor holds out hope for resolution via vigilante justice.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • With the bulk of his work at practice done for the day, Achord retreats to the back of the end zone with Koonz, squatting and scribbling something on paper.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of retreats
Verb
  • In the video, Hilton’s 3-year-old son Phoenix can be seen giggling as the puppy playfully chases him around the room while 2-year-old sister London looks on.
    — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • That’s one reason there are so many arguments over the value of a team, or an athlete, or sports more generally, as more and more money chases something essentially priceless—or misappropriated, depending on your view.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of chases
Verb
  • Based on the legend of the Chinese goddess Chang’e, this book reimagines and expands the myth to center her daughter, Xingyin, who flees her home and embarks on a bold adventure to save her mother while training in enemy territory.
    — Chloe Gong, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Holden eagerly rebels against Pencey Prep, gets the boot, and flees to New York City, a place with its own vices and hazards, but without the sort of propaganda and pretense that obscure the school’s dark underside.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of flees
Verb
  • Chaparral flies autonomously Elroy Air completed a new series of autonomous, uncrewed flight tests of its Chaparral cargo aircraft under the US Department of Transportation and FAA’s eIPP project.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Related Stories The festival traditionally flies all the flags representing directors with films in the selection from flagpoles on the Palazzo del Cinema, where the gala screenings take place every night.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of flies
Verb
  • This development forcibly ejects the mild-mannered mammal into both his parents’ den and the wild — literally — world of dating, where smelling suitors’ pee takes the place of an app profile.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 22 May 2026
  • At the same time, a salty liquid containing calcium chloride (a salt often used to de-ice roads) is pumped through the regenerator, which carries the heat away and ejects it to the surroundings on exit.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of ejects
Verb
  • And when the guy is maybe 20 meters away, the cameraman packs up the camera and runs away.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2026
  • The title refers to a story-fable about a horse that runs away, only to turn up at a time of crisis.
    — Hillel Italie, Fortune, 1 June 2026
Definition of runs away

Browse Nearby Words

runs into
runs off
runs off with
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Cite this Entry

“Runs off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runs%20off. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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