1
as in to out
to drive or force out
the dog often ran off cats and other animals that had intruded upon his owner's property
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to escape
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
their rebellious daughter's run off because she was disciplined again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to retreat
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the mouse ran off as soon as it saw us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fresh
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of run off
Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2025
This guy named Abraham lost, ran off with the beer anyway, and drank it.
—Jason Newman, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2024
Jen Christensen, CNN, 14 Jan. 2025
Milanović did well in the first round of voting on Dec. 29, but fell 5,000 votes short of the 50% majority needed to avoid a runoff.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for run off 
Verb
The crooks, believed to be between 16 and 19, pulled a gun on the worker before running off with several packages, cops said.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2025
This guy named Abraham lost, ran off with the beer anyway, and drank it.
—Jason Newman, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2024
Noun
Examples of people most at risk are those who eat a serving or two of fish a week from a lake or pond contaminated by farm runoff, or people who drink at least a quart of milk a day from cows raised on pastures that use sewage sludge, according to the EPA’s draft risk assessment.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 14 Jan. 2025
Milanović did well in the first round of voting on Dec. 29, but fell 5,000 votes short of the 50% majority needed to avoid a runoff.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for run off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for run off
Verb
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He’s had at least 70 yards in 14 consecutive postseason games — averaging 99.1 yards per outing over that stretch.—
Jeff Howe,
The Athletic,
19 Jan. 2025
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Wiener’s office cited the case of a transgender woman in Stanislaus County who successfully sued to have her court records made private after she was forcibly outed on social media and at work by anonymous internet trolls , as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.—
Andrew Sheeler,
Sacramento Bee,
13 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Whatever happens, Iris can’t escape her programming, which obliges her to always be truthful, but doesn’t abide by Asimov’s second rule of robotics, which dictates that such a machine must not harm a human.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
22 Jan. 2025
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The foxes are a legacy of the 2006 war between Lebanon's Hezbollah militia and Israel, when the animals moved down to the coast to escape fighting in the hills.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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As President Trump pushes aggressively to reshape the federal government, Democrats have retreated into a political crouch that reflects their powerlessness in Washington.—
Reid J. Epstein,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2025
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The controversy surrounding Costco's DEI initiatives comes as several major U.S. corporations have retreated from similar programs, fearing legal and reputational risks.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Make sure to maintain proper ventilation and storage conditions to keep your squash fresh.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
5 Jan. 2025
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Watch: Easy ways to keep your real Christmas tree fresh.—
Laura L. Davis,
USA TODAY,
5 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The crash occurred when the woman heading eastbound on South Brookville Drive near Hall Meadow Road drove onto the sidewalk on a curve and struck a tree, causing the vehicle to overturn and ejecting her, according to San Diego police.—
Gary Warth,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Jan. 2025
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The other death was of a driver who hydroplaned while traveling along U.S. Highway 231 in Ozark and was ejected from the vehicle.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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While Shapiro survived the attack, Alcala fled the scene but was later caught and arrested, pleading guilty to child molestation.—
Mollie Markowitz,
Fox News,
26 Jan. 2025
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Assad, whose family had ruled Syria since 1971, fled to Moscow.—
Warren P. Strobel,
arkansasonline.com,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Editors are awash with clients and premium microphones are flying off the shelves.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
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Foster, fascinated by machines—and perhaps most appreciative of other people when they’re seen from an L. S. Lowry-like distance—had taken to flying gliders, and then planes.—
Ian Parker,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Two and a half feet of rain beat down upon the face of the San Gabriels, wiping out the rustic resorts wedged into the canyons, and chuting runoff waters down onto the plain along ancient dry rivulets and freshets and canyons that Angelenos had forgotten or never known about.—
Patt MorrisonColumnist,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2023
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The Hudson River had a little current, fed by freshets from upstream with local rains, and melting snow farther up, in the Adirondacks.—
Ian Frazier,
The New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2020
Thesaurus Entries Near run off
Cite this Entry
“Run off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/run%20off. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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