as in flees
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
when a fight broke out, we hightailed it out of the bar
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hightails (it)
Verb
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The stinger on the scene, where Katie flees and Greg mistakenly gets caught peeping on two girls smooching, is good for some giggles.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2026 -
Seemingly a united front, Michaela agrees to stay in London upon Francesca’s request, but secretly flees in the finale.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Around the world, spas are often physically inaccessible, retreats off-limits by design, and practitioners limited in their ability and training to see disabled bodies as deserving of the restoration everyone so desperately needs.—
Sophie Morgan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Mar. 2026
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But the novel ultimately retreats from these complicating questions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The White House’s push for the Railway Safety Act flies in the face of its own advice.—
John Shelton,
Washington Post,
16 Mar. 2026
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Young normally flies using CLEAR, a private security program that costs about $200 a person, but that option wasn’t available on Sunday.—
Dan Gallo,
NBC news,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With that in mind, here are a few free agent options who could fit the Yankees if Bellinger bolts.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
14 Jan. 2026
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The canine then bolts across the field and is immediately chased by one horse, with about five more joining in moments later.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Here’s a curtain-raiser on SXSW Music 2026, which runs from March 12-16 — with all of the different sub-festivals running concurrently, for the first time in the Austin gathering’s four-decade history.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2026
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The Lake Shore Limited is a 19-hour rail journey between New York City and Chicago that runs alongside Lake Michigan, the Mohawk River, and the Erie Canal.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Best gets out of the vehicle, then runs away with police chasing after him.—
Dave Collins,
Hartford Courant,
12 Mar. 2026
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In this delightfully science-minded historical fiction novel, one of the main characters runs away from her family to do astronomy while the other clocks up multiple major scientific expeditions under her belt.—
Brianne Kane,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One of just two opponents to score more than four runs off him last year, the Braves charged him with a season-high seven earned runs on 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings at Fenway Park on May 18.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
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Water runs off quickly, carrying seeds and topsoil with it.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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These luxury Appalachian escapes pair low-impact lighting, stargazing, and mountain activities like horseback riding and hiking.—
Megan Eaves,
Outside,
16 Mar. 2026
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From luxury and adults-only escapes to ships packed with onboard adventures and kids’ clubs, there’s truly a cruise—and a cruise line—for everyone.—
Southern Living Editors,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Hightails (it).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hightails%20%28it%29. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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