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
Relevance
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
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of runoff
Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025
The commissioner went on to lose in a runoff.
—Joey Flechas, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
Susannah Cullinane, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Colorado scratched out its only run off right-hander Dylan Cease in the third, combining a bloop double by Orlando Arcia with an RBI single by Ezequiel Tovar.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for runoff
Verb
Additionally, there will be an in-ground stormwater sewage system throughout the community to handle runoff.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025
The commissioner went on to lose in a runoff.
—Joey Flechas, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
After a confrontation between Brown and Wilson through the driver’s side window of the police car – during which Brown was shot in the hand – Johnson and Brown ran off.
—Susannah Cullinane, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Colorado scratched out its only run off right-hander Dylan Cease in the third, combining a bloop double by Orlando Arcia with an RBI single by Ezequiel Tovar.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for runoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for runoff
Verb
-
Sports piracy has become so widespread that even professional athletes, like Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James (who was spotted using Streameast in May 2024) and Seattle Seahawks' Tariq Woolen, have been outed as users.—
Scharon Harding,
ArsTechnica,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The star linebacker then made a spectacle of his final preseason outing with the team.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Most want to see better protections and less exploitation of fighters so that they are exposed to the least amount of danger in a sport that cannot escape it.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And if the Fed ends up cutting fewer times than traders expect, including three this year, the market could retreat in disappointment.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
-
One deputy retreated while two of them fired their guns, hitting Williams and Lane, authorities said.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The show is, of course, trading in familiar stereotypes for all its real-life characters, but there is something about its bespoke combination of the retro and the fresh.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
-
In northern Italy’s Alto Adige region, chardonnay is lean, minerally and mountain-fresh—proof the grape was never the problem, just the stereotype.—
Devin Parr,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Booker, of course, didn’t get that opportunity in the opener after Carter was ejected before the first play for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
-
After the opening kickoff against the Cowboys, a flag was thrown by the officials and Carter was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct just six seconds into the new season.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Police reported the suspect got into an awaiting black SUV driven by a second suspect, and the pair fled the scene.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Routh allegedly fled after the agent fired at him, and was later arrested after being stopped on a nearby interstate.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While some travelers choose to fly on Thanksgiving Day for lower prices and crowds, most leave at least a day early to avoid the risk of cancellations or delays upending their holiday plans.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Two games in, though, the Packers have passed both tests with flying colors.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 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
Cite this Entry
“Runoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runoff. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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