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Synonyms

runaway

American  
[ruhn-uh-wey] / ˈrʌn əˌweɪ /

noun

  1. a person who runs away; fugitive; deserter.

  2. a horse or team that has broken away from control.

  3. the act of running away.

  4. a decisive or easy victory.

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

adjective

  1. having run away; escaped; fugitive.

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

  3. pertaining to or accomplished by running away or eloping.

    a runaway marriage.

  4. easily won, as a contest.

    a runaway victory at the polls.
    Synonyms:
    complete, absolute

  5. unchecked; rampant.

    runaway prices.

  6. 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.

Etymology

Origin of runaway

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

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.

“Since the situation in the Middle East intensified, the JGB yield curve has bear-steepened. If the BOJ prioritizes inflation risks, then concerns about runaway long-term inflation could ease,” Mochizuki adds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

AI-generated tracks regularly go viral, such as the runaway success of an AI cover of Belgian musician Stromae's "Papaoutai" at the end of January.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

That debate would have triggered a discussion about the cost of runaway benefits, which would have reined in the size of benefit checks long ago.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

Defeat would put make England more distant outsiders for their final-day meeting with runaway leaders France and raise the prospect of a first single-win Six Nations campaign.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

She clung desperately to Mama Woof’s back as they galloped through the forest of Ashton Place, sniffing and searching for the runaway bird.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

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.