runaway: Meaning and Definition of

run•a•way

Pronunciation: (run'u-wā"), [key]
— n.
  1. a person who runs away; fugitive; deserter.
  2. a horse or team that has broken away from control.
  3. the act of running away.
  4. a decisive or easy victory.
  5. a young person, esp. a teenager, who has run away from home.
—adj.
  1. having run away; escaped; fugitive.
  2. (of a horse or other animal) having escaped from the control of the rider or driver.
  3. pertaining to or accomplished by running away or eloping: a runaway marriage.
  4. easily won, as a contest: a runaway victory at the polls.
  5. unchecked; rampant: runaway prices.
  6. deserting or revolting against one's group, duties, expected conduct, or the like, esp. to establish or join a rival group, change one's life drastically, etc.: The runaway delegates nominated their own candidate.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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