as in to flee
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
when a fight broke out, we hightailed it out of the bar
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hightail (it)
Verb
-
Villagers flee their homes near the Thai border in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province on July 25, 2025.—
Shane Croucher
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025 -
Yang’s deportation to Laos – a country her parents were forced to flee following US military intervention – underscores the sweeping and aggressive tactics Trump’s White House is using to expel immigrants.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
25 July 2025
Verb
-
Mortensen retreated back into her room and locked the door, immediately texting her housemates.—
Time,
Time,
23 July 2025
-
There have been several boycotts by consumers angry that the retailer has retreated from its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
The scene concludes with a lot of digital images flying up on the screen and some positively insane synthesizer music from composer Ennio Morricone.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
19 July 2025
-
The group was exchanged for more than 250 Venezuelans deported from the U.S. and flown in March to El Salvador's high-security prison.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 July 2025
Verb
-
Twenty-five American women bolted for Britain to serve in the ATA in 1942.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 July 2025
-
During radiation, a mesh mask was molded to her face and bolted to the table to keep her completely still throughout each session.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
13 July 2025
Verb
-
Angelo’s son, Joseph, ran the store and lived on the second floor until the 1970s.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
29 July 2025
-
Reportedly, the Pentagon will pay for it; the intelligence community will oversee it; Musk will run it.—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
28 July 2025
Verb
-
The project explores the tension between love and loneliness, questioning whether one escapes solitude by helping others find meaningful relationships.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
21 July 2025
-
Eventually, in a moment of crisis, Titch also escapes with him on it, kicking off what will become a wild continent-hopping odyssey.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
21 July 2025
Verb
-
The Yankees held a season-high seven-game lead in the division May 28, looking poised to run away with it through the summer.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
-
The Yankees once looked set to run away with the American League East, but now trail the Blue Jays by four games, entering play on Tuesday.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
Ben dominated the second match, running off 11 unanswered after going 0-6 down by essentially playing 2-on-1.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
-
The Sox added another four runs off Imanaga’s replacement, Chris Flexen, who started for their cursed 2024 team.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
26 July 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Hightail (it).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hightail%20%28it%29. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share