runaway
/ˈɹʌnəweɪ/noun, adjective
runaway is spelled R-U-N-A-W-A-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “run-away vs runaway” about 70 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, runaway means “A person or animal that runs away or has run away; a person, animal, or organization that escapes captivity or restrictions” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of runaway is runaways.
How many letters and syllables are in runaway?
| Letters | 7: R-U-N-A-W-A-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 14,106th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is runaway?
Runaway appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce runaway?
- /ˈɹʌnəweɪ/
Runaway has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-runaway.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with runaway
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: run-away (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of runaway
- runaways plural
- run-away
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does runaway mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person or animal that runs away or has run away; a person, animal, or organization that escapes captivity or restrictions.
Runaways are vulnerable to criminal exploitation.
- 2
A vehicle (especially, a train) that is out of control.
- 3
An object or process that is out of control or out of equilibrium.
A trim runaway can make an airplane almost impossible to fly.
- 4
The act of running away, especially of a horse or teams.
- 5
An overwhelming victory.
The home side won in a runaway.
adjective
- 1
Having run away; escaped; fugitive; fleeting.
a runaway thief
- 2
Having escaped from the control of the rider or driver.
a runaway donkey
- 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
Accelerating out of control.
a runaway train
- 6
Unchecked; rampant.
runaway prices
- 7
informalDeserting or revolting against one's group, duties, expected conduct, or the like, especially to establish or join a rival group, change one's life drastically, etc.
The runaway delegates nominated their own candidate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Runaway in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fugitif, fugueur , emballement |
| German | Ausreißer, Entflohener, Entlaufener , entlaufen, davongelaufen, weggerannt |
| Spanish | fugitivo , desbocado |
| Portuguese | fugido, fugitivo , desgarrado, desgovernado , dissidente |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does runaway come from?
Deverbal from run away.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).