ran scared
Bolted in terror
Ran scared describes fleeing or acting out of fear, but more often means operating in a state of anxiety or desperation rather than literally running.
Politicians run scared when they fear losing an election and change tactics accordingly.
A team that's running scared plays defensively, rattled by their opponent's strength.
The scandal had the whole administration running scared.
- runningSwift foot travel
- boltedFastened or fled suddenly
- sprintedRan at top speed
- retreatedMoved backward from advance
- dashedMoved with sudden speed
panic · heart pounding · trepidation · deer in headlights · fled · beat a retreat · danger · scrambled · escaped · apprehension · spooked · darted · dread · terror · fright · took off · hurried · rushed
ran scaredstood one's ground
Refused to back down
faced the music · fought back · took a stand · dug in · stood tall
ran, scared, runs, runner, runners, scare, scares, scaring, scary