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Meaning of run in English
Pronunciation
/rən/
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Verb
run
Etymology
Old English rinnan, 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
Definitions
1.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
Examples
« Don't run--you'll be out of breath »
« The children ran to the store »
2.
flee
Examples
« take to one's heels »
« cut and run »
« If you see this man, run! »
« The burglars escaped before the police showed up »
3.
stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope
Examples
« run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point »
« Service runs all the way to Cranbury »
« His knowledge doesn't go very far »
« My memory extends back to my fourth year of life »
« The facts ex »
4.
direct or control
Examples
« projects, businesses, etc. »
« She is running a relief operation in the Sudan »
5.
have a particular form
Examples
« the story or argument runs as follows »
« as the saying goes... »
6.
move along, of liquids
Examples
« Water flowed into the cave »
« the Missouri feeds into the Mississippi »
7.
perform as expected when applied
Examples
« The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in »
« Does this old car still run well? »
« This old radio doesn't work anymore »
Antonyms
malfunction
misfunction
8.
change or be different within limits
Examples
« Estimates for the losses in the earthquake range as high as $2 billion »
« Interest rates run from 5 to 10 percent »
« The instruments ranged from tuba to cymbals »
« My students range from very bright to dull »
9.
run, stand, or compete for an office or a position
Examples
« Who's running for treasurer this year? »
10.
cause to emit recorded sounds
Examples
« They ran the tapes over and over again »
« Can you play my favorite record? »
11.
move about freely and without restraint, or act as if running around in an uncontrolled way
Examples
« who are these people running around in the building? »
« She runs around telling everyone of her troubles »
« let the dogs run free »
12.
have a tendency or disposition to do or be something
Examples
« be inclined »
« She tends to be nervous before her lectures »
« These dresses run small »
« He inclined to corpulence »
13.
carry out a process or program, as on a computer or a machine
Examples
« Run the dishwasher »
« run a new program on the Mac »
« the computer executed the instruction »
14.
be operating, running or functioning
Examples
« The car is still running--turn it off! »
Antonyms
idle
tick over
15.
change from one state to another
Examples
« run amok »
« run rogue »
« run riot »
16.
cause to perform
Examples
« run a subject »
« run a process »
17.
be affected by
Examples
« be subjected to »
« run a temperature »
« run a risk »
18.
continue to exist
Examples
« These stories die hard »
« The legend of Elvis endures »
19.
occur persistently
Examples
« Musical talent runs in the family »
20.
include as the content
Examples
« broadcast or publicize »
« We ran the ad three times »
« This paper carries a restaurant review »
« All major networks carried the press conference »
21.
carry out
Examples
« run an errand »
22.
guide or pass over something
Examples
« He ran his eyes over her body »
« She ran her fingers along the carved figurine »
« He drew her hair through his fingers »
23.
cause something to pass or lead somewhere
Examples
« Run the wire behind the cabinet »
24.
make without a miss
25.
deal in illegally, such as arms or liquor
26.
cause an animal to move fast
Examples
« run the dogs »
27.
be diffused
Examples
« These dyes and colors are guaranteed not to run »
28.
sail before the wind
29.
cover by running
Examples
« run a certain distance »
« She ran 10 miles that day »
30.
extend or continue for a certain period of time
Examples
« The film runs 5 hours »
31.
set animals loose to graze
32.
keep company
Examples
« the heifers run with the bulls ot produce offspring »
33.
run with the ball
Examples
« in such sports as football »
34.
travel rapidly, by any (unspecified) means
Examples
« Run to the store! »
« She always runs to Italy, because she has a lover there »
35.
travel a route regularly
Examples
« Ships ply the waters near the coast »
36.
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
Examples
« Goering often hunted wild boars in Poland »
« The dogs are running deer »
« The Duke hunted in these woods »
37.
compete in a race
Examples
« he is running the Marathon this year »
« let's race and see who gets there first »
38.
progress by being changed
Examples
« The speech has to go through several more drafts »
« run through your presentation before the meeting »
39.
reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating
Examples
« melt butter »
« melt down gold »
« The wax melted in the sun »
40.
come unraveled or undone as if by snagging
Examples
« Her nylons were running »
41.
become undone
Examples
« the sweater unraveled »
Noun
run
Definitions
1.
a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
Examples
« the Yankees scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th »
« their first tally came in the 3rd inning »
2.
the act of testing something
Examples
« in the experimental trials the amount of carbon was measured separately »
« he called each flip of the coin a new trial »
3.
a race run on foot
Examples
« she broke the record for the half-mile run »
4.
an unbroken series of events
Examples
« had a streak of bad luck »
« Nicklaus had a run of birdies »
5.
(American football) a play in which a player runs with the ball
Examples
« the defensive line braced to stop the run »
« the coach put great emphasis on running »
6.
a regular trip
Examples
« the ship made its run in record time »
7.
the act of running
Examples
« traveling on foot at a fast pace »
« he broke into a run »
« his daily run keeps him fit »
8.
the continuous period of time during which something (a machine or a factory) operates or continues in operation
Examples
« the assembly line was on a 12-hour run »
9.
unrestricted freedom to use
Examples
« he has the run of the house »
10.
the production achieved during a continuous period of operation (of a machine or factory etc.)
Examples
« a daily run of 100,000 gallons of paint »
11.
a small stream
12.
a race between candidates for elective office
Examples
« I managed his campaign for governor »
« he is raising money for a Senate run »
13.
a row of unravelled stitches
Examples
« she got a run in her stocking »
14.
the pouring forth of a fluid
15.
an unbroken chronological sequence
Examples
« the play had a long run on Broadway »
« the team enjoyed a brief run of victories »
16.
a short trip
Examples
« take a run into town »