hightail

American  

[hahy-teyl] / ˈhaɪˌteɪl /

verb (used without object)

Informal.

1. to go away or leave rapidly.

   Last we saw of him, he was hightailing down the street.

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idioms

1. hightail it, hurry; rush; scamper.

   Hightail it down to the grocery store and buy some bread for lunch.

hightail British  

/ ˈhaɪˌteɪl /

verb

1. Also: hightail it.  informal (intr) to go or move in a great hurry

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Etymology

Origin of hightail

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; high + tail ¹, in reference to the raised tails of fleeing animals, as deer or rabbits

Explanation

To hightail is to leave or move very quickly. Your plan might be to hightail to New York City as soon as you graduate from high school. Hightail is an useful, informal verb that means "get out fast" or "make a beeline for" or "cut and run." Bank robbers might jump in their getaway car and hightail it to their hideout, and a shivering snowshoer will hightail it to a warm fireplace after hours out in the snow. Hightail is 1890s U.S. cattle ranch slang, from the way a running cow or bull raises its tail.

Example Sentences

Unmentioned in his column is the fact that Rose Bowl’s primary tenant, UCLA, is currently trying to hightail it for the sleek confines of SoFi Stadium.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2026

Read on, study up, then hightail it to your nearest butcher.

From Salon • Apr. 2, 2022

“But if not, we’ll hightail it out. We’ll get out.”

From Seattle Times • Aug. 31, 2021

“I feel hopeful but not necessarily optimistic,” said Kimmel, who planned to hightail it out of Washington after the show.

From Washington Post • Oct. 22, 2017

“So we catch the tram, make our way to this Atrium, snag the Story Box, and hightail it out of there. Sounds easy enough.”

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia