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- Dictionaryrun/rʌn/
verb
- 1. move at a speed faster than a walk, never having both or all the feet on the ground at the same time: "the dog ran across the road" Similar sprintracedartrushdashhastenhurryscurryscuttlescamperhareboltboundflygallopcareerchargepoundshoothurtlespeedstreakwhizzzoomsweepgo like lightninggo hell for leathergo like the windflashdoublejoglopetrotjogtrotdogtrotinformal:tearpeltscoothotfoot itbeltzipwhipgo like a bat out of hellstep on itget a move onget crackingput on some speedstir one's stumpshop itbombleg itboogiehightail itbarrelget the lead outinformal, dated:cut alongarchaic:posthiefleerun awayrun offmake a run for itrun for ittake flightmake offtake offtake to one's heelsmake a break for itboltbeat a (hasty) retreatmake a quick exitmake one's getawayescapehead for the hillsdo a disappearing actinformal:beat itclear offclear outvamooseskedaddlesplitcut and runshow a clean pair of heelsturn tailscramdo a runnerscarperdo a bunkleg itlight outbug outcut outpeel outtake a powderskiddoogo throughshoot throughvulgar slang:bugger offarchaic:flyOpposite dawdlestay
- ▪ run as a sport or for exercise: "I run every morning"
- ▪ (of an athlete or a racehorse) compete in a race: "she ran in the 200 metres" Similar competetake partparticipateenterbe in
- ▪ enter (a racehorse) for a race: "I'm hoping to run him in the Portland Handicap"
- ▪ move about in a hurried and hectic way: "I've spent the whole day running round after the kids"
- ▪ (of a batter) run from one wicket to the other in scoring or attempting to score a run.
- ▪ (of a batter or base runner) attempt to advance to the next base.
- ▪ chase (someone) away: West Indian "ah went tuh eat the mangoes but the people run mih"
- ▪ (of hounds) chase or hunt their quarry: "the hounds are running"
- ▪ (of a boat) sail straight and fast directly before the wind: "we slanted across to the far bank and ran before the wind"
- ▪ (of a migratory fish) go upriver from the sea in order to spawn.
- 2. pass or cause to pass quickly in a particular direction: "the rumour ran through the pack of photographers" Similar gopassmovetravelrollcoastcastpassskimflickslide
- ▪ move or cause to move forcefully or with a particular result: "the tanker ran aground off the Shetlands"
- ▪ fail to stop at (a red traffic light): informal "cameras triggered by cars running red lights at intersections"
- ▪ navigate (rapids or a waterfall) in a boat: North American "the boats were preparing to run the big rapids"
- 3. (with reference to a liquid) flow or cause to flow: "a small river runs into the sea at one side of the castle" Similar flowpourstreamgushfloodglidecascadespurtjetissuerollcourseslidespilltrickleseepdripdribbleleakinformal:sloosh
- ▪ cause water to flow over: "I ran my hands under the tap"
- ▪ fill (a bath) with water: "she ran a bath and lowered herself into the water"
- ▪ emit or exude a liquid: "she was weeping and her nose was running" Similar streamdripexude/secrete/ooze liquid
- ▪ (of a solid substance) melt and become fluid: "it was so hot that the butter ran"
- ▪ (of the sea, the tide, or a river) rise higher or flow more quickly: "there was still a heavy sea running"
- ▪ (of dye or colour in fabric or paper) dissolve and spread when the fabric or paper becomes wet: "the red dye ran when the socks were washed"
- 4. extend or cause to extend in a particular direction: "cobbled streets run down to a tiny harbour" Similar extendstretchreachrangecontinuego
- ▪ pass into or reach a specified state or level: "inflation is running at 11 per cent"
- 5. (of a bus, train, ferry, or other form of transport) make a regular journey on a particular route: "buses run into town every half hour" Similar travelplyshuttlegomake a regular journey
- ▪ put (a form of public transport) in service: "the group is drawing up plans to run trains on key routes"
- ▪ take (someone) somewhere in a car: "I'll run you home" Similar drivegive someone a lifttakebringferrychauffeurtransportconvey
- 6. be in charge of; manage: "Andrea runs her own catering business" Similar be in charge ofmanageadministerdirectcontrolbe in control ofbe the boss ofbossheadleadgovernsupervisesuperintendoverseelook afterorganizecoordinateregulateoperateconductcarry onownpreside overofficiate at
- ▪ (of a system, organization, or plan) operate or proceed in a particular way: "everything's running according to plan" Similar operatefunctionworkgobe in operationtick overidleperformbehave
- ▪ organize, implement, or carry out: "we decided to run a series of seminars" Similar carry outdoperformfulfilexecute
- ▪ own, maintain, and use (a vehicle): "he could no longer afford to run a car" Similar maintainkeepownpossesshavedrive
- 7. be in or cause to be in operation; function or cause to function: "the car runs on unleaded fuel" Similar operatefunctionworkgobe in operationtick overidleperformbehave
- ▪ move or cause to move between the spools of a recording machine: "I ran the tape back"
- 8. continue or be valid or operative for a particular period of time: "the course ran for two days" Similar be validlastbe in effectoperatebe in operationbe operativebe currentcontinuebe effectivehave forcehave effect
- ▪ happen or arrive at the specified time: "the programme was running fifteen minutes late"
- ▪ (of a play or exhibition) be staged or presented: "the play ran at Stratford last year" Similar be stagedbe presentedbe performedbe onbe put onbe producedbe mountedbe screenedlast
- 9. stand as a candidate in an election: "he announced that he intended to run for President" Similar stand forstand for election asstand as a candidate forbe a contender forput oneself forward forput oneself up for
- ▪ (especially of a political party) sponsor (a candidate) in an election: "they ran their first independent candidate at the Bromley by-election"
- 10. publish or be published in a newspaper or magazine: "the tabloid press ran the story" Similar publishprintfeaturecarryput outreleaseissue
- ▪ (of a saying, argument, piece of writing, etc.) have a specified wording: "‘Tapestries slashed!’ ran the dramatic headline"
- 11. bring (goods) into a country illegally and secretly; smuggle: "they run drugs for the cocaine cartels" Similar smuggletraffic indeal in
- 12. cost (someone) (a specified amount): North American "a new photocopier will run us about $1,300"
- 13. (of a stocking or pair of tights) develop a ladder. North American
- 14. provide: West Indian "the wait-and-see game continues until the government runs some ready cash"
- ▪ provide pasture for (sheep or cattle); raise (livestock): "they ran sheep and cattle"
noun
- 1. an act or spell of running: "I usually go for a run in the morning" Similar sprintracedashgalloprushspurtjogtrot
- ▪ a running pace: "Rory set off at a run"
- ▪ an annual mass migration of fish up or down a river: "the annual salmon runs"
- 2. a journey accomplished or route taken by a vehicle, aircraft, or boat, especially on a regular basis: "the London–Liverpool run" Similar routewaycoursejourneycircuitroundbeat
- ▪ a short excursion made in a car: "we could take a run out to the country" Similar driverideturntripexcursionoutingjauntshort journeyairinginformal:spinjoyridetootlehurl
- ▪ the distance covered in a specified period, especially by a ship: "a record run of 398 miles from noon to noon"
- ▪ a short flight made by an aircraft on a straight and even course at a constant speed before or while dropping bombs: "bombing runs by B52s"
- 3. an opportunity or attempt to achieve something: "their absence means the Russians will have a clear run at the title"
- ▪ a preliminary test of a procedure or system: "if you are styling your hair yourself, have a practice run"
- ▪ an attempt to secure election to political office: "his run for the Republican nomination"
- 4. a continuous spell of a particular situation or condition: "he's had a run of bad luck" Similar periodspellstretchspateboutpatchintervaltimeseriessuccessionsequencestringchainstreak
- ▪ a continuous series of performances: "the play had a long run in the West End"
- ▪ a quantity or amount of something produced at one time: "a production run of only 150 cars"
- ▪ a continuous stretch or length of something: "long runs of copper piping"
- ▪ a rapid series of musical notes forming a scale.
- ▪ a sequence of cards of the same suit.
- 5. a widespread and sudden demand for (a commodity) or a widespread trading in (a currency): "there's been a big run on nostalgia toys this year"
- ▪ a sudden demand for repayment from (a bank) made by a large number of lenders: "growing nervousness among investors led to a run on some banks" Similar demand forrush forsudden request forclamour for
- 6. the average or usual type of person or thing: "the new trooper stood out from the general run of eager youth crowding to enlist" Similar typekindsortvarietyclasscategoryorder
- ▪ the general tendency of something: "quite against the run of play, Smith scored an early try" Similar trendtendencycoursedirectionmovementdrifttidecurrenttenor
- 7. a sloping snow-covered course or track used for skiing, bobsleighing, or tobogganing: "a ski run" Similar slopepistetrackbump runtrail
- ▪ a track made or regularly used by a particular animal: "a badger run"
- 8. an enclosed area in which domestic animals or birds may run freely in the open: "an excellent and safe guinea pig run" Similar enclosurepencoopcompound
- ▪ a large open stretch of land used for pasture or the raising of stock: Australian, New Zealand "one of the richest cattle runs of the district"
- 9. free and unrestricted use of or access to: "her cats were given the run of the house" Similar unrestricted/free use ofunrestricted access toa free hand ina free rein in
- 10. a unit of scoring achieved by hitting the ball so that both batters are able to run between the wickets, or awarded in some other circumstances.
- ▪ a point scored by the batter returning to home plate after touching the other bases.
- 11. a vertical line of unravelled stitches in stockings or tights; a ladder: North American "she had a run in her nylons" Similar riptearsnagholeladder
- 12. a downward trickle of paint or a similar substance when applied too thickly: "varnish should be applied with care to avoid runs and an uneven surface"
- ▪ a small stream: "a shallow run at the edge of a low rock"
- 13. diarrhoea. informal
- 14. the after part of a ship's bottom where it rises and narrows towards the stern.
Word Origin Old Englishrinnan, irnan (verb), of Germanic origin, probably reinforced in Middle English by Old Norse rinna, renna. The current form with -u- in the present tense is first recorded in the 16th century.
Derivatives
- 1. runnable adjective
Scrabble Points: 3
R
1U
1N
1
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