To move or depart at high speed, often due to a sudden need to escape or avoid something. It implies a rapid, often panicked, retreat. The term suggests a visible and hasty departure, like a startled animal raising its tail and running. It can be used in various contexts, from evading unwanted attention to escaping a dangerous situation. The emphasis is on swiftness and urgency in leaving a place or scenario.
Hightail meaning with examples
- Upon hearing the siren, the group of teenagers hightailed it from the park, scattering in different directions to avoid getting caught by the police. They knew they were breaking curfew, and a citation was the last thing they wanted at that hour, leaving behind their illicit activity.
- When the restaurant's kitchen caught fire, the patrons didn't hesitate; they all hightailed it out of the building, their eyes wide with fear and their voices filled with panic. Fortunately, everyone escaped unharmed, and fire fighters were quickly on the scene to extinguish the flames.
- Realizing he was late for the most important meeting of his career, the young executive threw his notes in his briefcase and hightailed it down the hallway, his polished shoes clicking against the tiled floor, trying to gain momentum with each step to make up lost time.
- The moment the teacher announced a pop quiz, the students hightailed it for the restrooms, desperately hoping to look up the information with their phones or to stall for as much time as possible before it was handed out and graded.
Hightail Crossword Answers
3 Letters
LAM
6 Letters
HASTEN