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to run away from

to run away from

92 2.9
To avoid dealing with a problem or responsibility
  • phrasal verb
  • /rʌn əˈweɪ frʌm/
  • Informal
translation icon : evitar
  • It's not helpful to run away from your problems; you need to face them head-on.
  • run away from home

You're avoiding it, you're trying to run away from it, and you face it.

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Examples

  • You run away from your problems, and so do I.

  • Someone ran away from their family and now they're not making contact with them.

  • So I needed to run away from that and find something new.

  • So stop running away from them and turn toward them.

  • And then address the issue, not run away from the issue.

  • It's never easier to run away from ourselves.

  • How can I help people if I run away from them?

  • People are trying to run away from it, but it's no use.

    Academic text (2011)
  • We have to look at it and not run away from it.

    Academic text (1993)
  • In the summer of my sophomore year in high school, 1964, I ran away from home.

    Academic text (2004)

Synonyms

to stay away
vsto run away from
590 1.6

Keep a distance from people or things you want to avoid

focuses on not confronting duties rather than merely keeping distance
to get out
vsto run away from
  • Informal
462 3.8

Avoid doing a task or taking blame you should accept

avoids dealing with a problem itself, not only blame
to stay away from
vsto run away from
384 2.3

Avoid going near people or places for safety

avoids confronting issues directly rather than just staying physically distant
to retreat
vsto run away from
235 4.0

To move back from a place or plan to avoid danger

avoids facing problems rather than simply seeking privacy
to escape from
vsto run away from
137 2.7

To get away from a person, place, or situation that causes trouble

avoids confronting unpleasant situations generally, not only physical pursuit
to evade
vsto run away from
52 4.4

To get away from someone or something by being clever and tricky

avoids duties too but without the clever or deceptive element
to shy away from
vsto run away from
41 4.6

Avoid doing something because you feel afraid or unsure

avoids confronting unpleasant duties without necessarily feeling fear
to turn away from
vsto run away from
15 3.7

To refuse to have anything to do with someone or something

avoids dealing with problems rather than actively rejecting them
to retreat from
vsto run away from
13 4.4

To move back from a place or activity to avoid danger and trouble

avoids confronting responsibilities generally, not only stepping back physically
to duck out
vsto run away from
  • Informal
12 7.2

To leave a place quickly and quietly to avoid something you should do

avoids confronting responsibilities more broadly, not just by secret departure
to shrink from
vsto run away from
7 5.1

Avoid doing something difficult or unpleasant because you are afraid

avoids facing duties generally, not only from fear
to bury one's head in the sand
vsto run away from
  • Informal
5 7.7

To ignore a problem instead of dealing with it

avoids confronting problems but not always by active denial
to run a mile
vsto run away from
  • Informal
1 7.1

Move away quickly to avoid something you are afraid of

means avoiding duties broadly, not only fleeing quickly
to beat a retreat
vsto run away from
1 6.0

To leave a place quickly to avoid danger or trouble

avoids confronting unpleasant duties, not only escaping immediate danger
to run away from it all
vsto run away from
  • Informal
4.8

Escape everyday problems and stress by leaving for a while

avoids dealing with problems directly rather than leaving life entirely

Antonyms

359 4.4

Face a difficult problem or fear directly and bravely

How Avoidant

to shirk
19 6.3
to run away from
  • Informal
92 2.9
to avoid
1.0
to ignore
1.0
to face
2.2

Surface Forms

run away from infinitive
run away from past participle
running away from present participle
runs away from third person singular

Morphology

run + away + from

The literal combination of 'run' (move quickly) + 'away' (to another place) + 'from' (indicating origin) yields the clear sense of moving away from something, and this physical sense easily extends metaphorically to avoiding or escaping a problem. This metaphorical extension is cross-linguistically common and predictable, so an average B1 learner who knows the constituents is likely to infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb run away from comes from the picture of someone using run to move quickly and going away from danger or a problem. So it now means 'to avoid facing' an unpleasant situation or responsibility.