To hightail means to move very quickly, especially when leaving somewhere in a hurry. Picture a startled deer in the forest: when it senses danger, it sprints away with its white tail held high, visible as it flees.

When you realize you're late for school, you might hightail it out the door, grabbing your backpack as you run. If a sudden rainstorm starts during recess, everyone hightails it back inside to stay dry. The word suggests urgency and speed, often with a hint of escaping from something unpleasant or avoiding trouble.

You'll usually hear hightail paired with “it,” as in hightail it out of somewhere. Someone might say, “We'd better hightail it home before dark,” or “When the bigger kids showed up, the troublemakers hightailed it out of the playground.” The word has an informal, colorful feeling to it, more vivid than simply saying “run” or “leave quickly.”