Definitions of turn tail
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flee; take to one's heels; cut and run
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synonyms:
break away, bunk, escape, fly the coop, head for the hills, hightail it, lam, run, run away, scarper, scat, take to the woods
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types:
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flee, fly, take flight
run away quickly
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skedaddle
run away, as if in a panic
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break
make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing
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stampede
run away in a stampede
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abscond, absquatulate, bolt, decamp, go off, make off, run off
run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along
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elope, run off
run away secretly with one's beloved
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break loose, escape, get away
run away from confinement
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high-tail
retreat at full speed
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defect, desert
desert (a cause, a country or an army), often in order to join the opposing cause, country, or army
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘turn tail'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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