run
[verb]
Synonyms:
- race, bolt, dash, gallop, hare (Brit. informal), hurry, jog, leg it (informal), lope, rush, scurry, sprint
- flee, beat a retreat, beat it (slang), bolt, do a runner (slang), escape, leg it (informal), make a run for it, take flight, take off (informal), take to one's heels
- move, course, glide, go, pass, roll, skim
- work, function, go, operate, perform
- manage, administer, be in charge of, control, direct, handle, head, lead, operate
- continue, extend, go, proceed, reach, stretch
- flow, discharge, go, gush, leak, pour, spill, spout, stream
- melt, dissolve, go soft, liquefy
- publish, display, feature, print
- compete, be a candidate, contend, put oneself up for, stand, take part
- smuggle, bootleg, traffic in
[noun]
Synonyms:
- race, dash, gallop, jog, rush, sprint, spurt
- ride, drive, excursion, jaunt, outing, spin (informal), trip
- sequence, course, period, season, series, spell, stretch, string
- enclosure, coop, pen
- in the long run: eventually, in the end, ultimately

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Contrasted words: crawl, creep, drag, inch, mosey, poke, saunter, stroll, toddle
Related Idioms: dog it, make a break, run for it, show a clean pair of heels, take flight, take French leave, take to one's heels, go all out, go like (greased) lightning
Related Words: career, course, race, bustle, hurry, hustle, rush, speed, scorch, continuity, endurance, prolongation, set, bearing, direction, line, swing

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English Thesaurus: control, run, be in charge of somebody/something, manage, be in power, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. run¹ S1 W1 /rʌn/ verb (past tense ran /ræn/, past participle run, present participle running)
[Word Family: noun: run, rerun, runner, running, overrun; verb: run, outrun, overrun, rerun; adjective: running, runny; adverb: running]
[Language: Old English; Origin: rinnan]

1. MOVE QUICKLY USING YOUR LEGS
a) [intransitive] to move very quickly, by moving your legs more quickly than when you walk
run down/up/to/towards etc
I ran down the stairs as fast as I could.
He was running towards the door.
She turned and ran away.
The boys ran off into the crowd.
run to do something
Several people ran to help her when she fell.
The children came running out of the house.
Women ran screaming, with children in their arms.
Jane struggled free and ran for her life (=ran in order to avoid being killed).
Hurry! Run for it (=run as quickly as possible in order to escape)!
He picked up the child and ran like hell (=ran very quickly, especially in order to escape). not polite
b) [transitive] to run a particular distance:
Firefighters are to run 500km to raise money for a children’s charity.
He ran the length of the corridor.

2. RACE
a) [intransitive and transitive] to run in a race:
I’d never run a marathon before.
run in
Murray has said she will consider running in the 3000 metres.
b) [transitive usually passive] if a race is run at a particular time or in a particular place, it happens at that time or in that place:
The Derby will be run at 3 o'clock.

3. ORGANIZE/BE IN CHARGE OF [transitive] to organize or be in charge of an activity, business, organization, or country:
For a while, she ran a restaurant in Boston.
Many people don’t care who runs the country.
Courses are currently being run in London and Edinburgh.
Many people belong to a pension scheme run by their employers.
well/badly run
The hotel is well-run and extremely popular.
a state-run (=controlled by the government) television station

4. DO SOMETHING/GO SOMEWHERE QUICKLY [intransitive] to do something or go somewhere quickly:
Run and ask your mother where she’s put the keys.
run to
I need to run to the store for some more milk.

5. BUSES/TRAINS ETC
a) [intransitive] if a bus, train etc service runs, it takes people from one place to another at fixed times:
The buses don’t run on Sundays.
run to
The number 61 bus runs to the city centre.
b) [transitive] if a company or other organization runs a bus, train etc service, they make it operate:
They’re running special trains to and from the exhibition.

6. COMPUTERS
a) [intransitive] if a computer program runs, it operates
run on
The software will run on any PC.
b) [transitive] if you run a program, you make it operate:
The RS8 system runs both Unix and MPX-32.

7. MACHINE/ENGINE
a) [intransitive] if a machine or engine runs, it operates:
She got out of the car and left the engine running.
run on electricity/gas/petrol etc (=get its power from electricity etc)
Most cars run on unleaded fuel.
run off something (=use something for power)
It runs off batteries.
b) [transitive] if you run a machine or engine, you make it operate:
You shouldn’t keep the engine running when the car is standing still.
I often run the washing machine more than once a day.

8. TAPE
a) [intransitive usually progressive] if a tape is running, it is recording:
She didn’t realize the tape was running as she spoke.
b) [transitive] if you run a tape, you make it move backwards or forwards:
Run the tape back to the beginning.

9. NEWSPAPER/TELEVISION
a) [transitive] to print something in a newspaper or magazine, or broadcast something on television:
The company is running a series of advertisements in national newspapers.
A local TV station ran her story.
b) [intransitive] if a program runs on television, it is shown. If a story runs in a newspaper or magazine, it is printed:
The series ran for 20 episodes and was extremely popular.
Conan Doyle’s stories ran in ‘The Strand’ magazine.

10. FAST/OUT OF CONTROL [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move too fast or in an uncontrolled way:
Her car ran off the road and into a tree.
The truck ran out of control and hit a house.

11. USE A VEHICLE [transitive] especially British English to own and use a vehicle:
I can’t afford to run a car.
A bicycle is relatively cheap to buy and run.

12. TAKE SOMEBODY IN YOUR CAR [transitive always + adverb/preposition] informal to take someone somewhere in your car Synonym : drive:
Shall I run you home?
run somebody to something
Let me run you to the station.

13. IN AN ELECTION [intransitive] especially American English to try to be elected in an election Synonym : stand British English
run for
Salinas is running for a second term as President.
an attempt to encourage more women to run for office
run against
Feinstein will win if she runs against Lungren.

14. SOMETHING LONG [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] if something long such as a road or wire runs in a particular direction, that is its position, or that is where you put it:
The road runs along a valley.
Developers want to run a road right through his farm.
Run the cables under the carpet.
The Sierra mountain range runs the length of the north west coast of Majorca.

15. MOVE SOMETHING ON A SURFACE [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to move something lightly along a surface:
Charles ran his fingers through her hair.
Run the scanner over the bar codes.

16. FLOW [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to flow in a particular direction or place:
Tears started to run down her cheeks.
Water was running off the roof.

17. TAP [intransitive and transitive] if a tap is running, water is coming out of it, or if you run a tap, you make water come out of it:
Did you leave the tap running?
He ran the tap until the water was really hot.

18. run a bath to fill a bath with water:
I could hear her running a bath upstairs.
run somebody a bath
Could you run me a nice hot bath while I finish my meal?

19. SB’S NOSE [intransitive] if someone’s nose is running, liquid is flowing out of it

20. OFFICIAL PAPERS [intransitive] if something runs for a particular length of time, it can officially be used for that time:
The contract runs for a year.
My car insurance only has another month to run.

21. PLAY/FILM [intransitive] to continue being performed regularly in one place:
The play ran for two years.

22. HAPPEN [intransitive] to happen in a particular way or at a particular time:
Andy kept things running smoothly (=happening in the way they should) while I was away.
He was given a further three month prison sentence to run concurrently.
The course runs over a three year period.

23. AMOUNT/PRICE [intransitive] to be at a particular level, amount, or price
run at
Inflation was running at 5%.
run to
The cost of repairing the damage could run to $5000.

24. STORY/ACCOUNT ETC [intransitive and transitive] if a story, discussion etc runs in a particular way, it has those particular words or events:
The story runs that someone offered Lynch a further $500.
‘President’s marriage really over’ ran the headline in a national newspaper.

25. run its course if something runs its course, it continues in the way you expect until it has finished:
Recession in the country has run its course and left an aftermath of uncertainty.

26. something will run and run British English if a subject, discussion, event etc will run and run, people will continue to be interested in it for a long time:
This is a story that will run and run.

27. THOUGHTS/FEELINGS [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if a feeling runs through you, or a thought runs through your mind, you feel it or think it quickly
run through/down
A feeling of excitement ran through her body as they touched.
The same thought kept running through his mind.
A cold shiver ran down my back.
I felt a sharp pain run down my leg.

28. run high if feelings run high, people are very angry, upset, excited etc:
Tension ran high and fights broke out among the crowd.
Feelings have been running high in the town, following the murder of a young girl.

29. run sb’s life informal to keep telling someone what they should do all the time, in a way that annoys them:
Don’t try to run my life!

30. run for cover
a) to run towards a place where you will be safe, especially to avoid bullets:
He was shot in the leg as he ran for cover.
b) to try to protect yourself from a bad situation or from being criticized:
His success at backing winning horses has had the bookmakers running for cover.

31. COLOUR IN CLOTHES [intransitive] if colour runs, it spreads from one piece of clothing or one area of cloth to another when the clothes are wet:
The T-shirt ran and made all my other clothes pink.

32. PAINT/INK [intransitive] if paint runs, it moves onto an area where you did not intend it to go

33. run a check/test/experiment etc to arrange for someone or something to be checked or tested
run a check/test/experiment etc on
Ask your doctor to run a test on your blood sugar levels.

34. HOLE IN CLOTHES [intransitive] if a hole in tights or stockings runs, it gets bigger in a straight line

35. run drugs/guns to bring drugs or guns into a country illegally in order to sell them ⇒ drug runner, gun-running

36. run in the family if something such as a quality, disease, or skill runs in the family, many people in that family have it:
Diabetes appears to run in families.

37. run a temperature/fever to have a body temperature that is higher than normal, because you are ill

38. run a mile informal to try very hard to avoid a particular situation or person because you do not want to deal with them:
If someone asked me to marry them, I’d probably run a mile.

39. run late/early/on time to arrive, go somewhere, or do something late, early, or at the right time:
I’m running late, so I’ll talk to you later.
If the train runs on time, we’ll be there by ten.

40. be running scared to feel worried because someone who you are competing against is becoming very successful or powerful:
The party are running scared.

41. come running
a) informal to react in a very eager way when someone asks or tells you to do something:
He thinks he’s only got to look at me and I’ll come running.
b) especially spoken to ask someone for help, advice, or sympathy when you have a problem
come running to
Well I warned you, so don’t come running to me when it all goes wrong!

42. run your eyes over/along etc something to look quickly at something:
He ran his eyes along the books on the shelf.

43. run before you can walk to try to do something difficult before you have learned the basic skills you need:
A lot of language students want to run before they can walk.

44. run a (red) light informal to drive quickly through a red TRAFFIC LIGHT instead of stopping
⇒ running¹, ⇒ cut and run at cut¹(38), ⇒ be/run/go counter to something at counter³, ⇒ run deep at deep²(4), ⇒ run dry at dry¹(4), ⇒ run low at low¹(4), ⇒ run somebody ragged at ragged(5), ⇒ run rings around somebody at ring¹(8), ⇒ run riot at riot¹(2), ⇒ be running short at short²(2), ⇒ run somebody/something to earth at earth¹(14), ⇒ run to fat at fat²(6), ⇒ run somebody/something to ground at ground¹(19), ⇒ run to seed at seed¹(4), ⇒ run wild at wild²(1), ⇒ be up and running at up¹(22)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. run² noun
[Word Family: noun: run, rerun, runner, running, overrun; verb: run, outrun, overrun, rerun; adjective: running, runny; adverb: running]

1. ON FOOT [countable] a period of time spent running, or a distance that you run ⇒ jog, sprint:
a five-mile run
She usually goes for a run before breakfast.
He was still following me, and in a panic I broke into a run.
at a run
Sarah left the house at a run.

2. in the long run later in the future, not immediately ⇒ long-term:
Moving to Spain will be better for you in the long run.

3. in the short run in the near future ⇒ short-term:
Sufficient supply, in the short run, will be a problem.

4. the usual/normal/general run of something the usual type of something:
The place was very different from the normal run of street cafes.

5. SERIES [countable usually singular] a series of successes or failures ⇒ string, streak:
an unbeaten run of 19 games
run of good/bad luck
Losing my job was the start of a run of bad luck that year.
a run of defeats/victories etc
His extraordinary run of successes has been stopped.

6. AMOUNT PRODUCED [countable] an amount of a product produced at one time:
a limited run of 200 copies

7. be on the run
a) to be trying to escape or hide, especially from the police
be on the run from
wanted criminals on the run from police
b) if an army or opponent is on the run, they will soon be defeated
c) to be very busy and continuously rushing about:
Typical of stress is this feeling of being continuously on the run.

8. do something on the run to do something while you are on your way somewhere or doing something else:
I always seem to eat on the run these days.

9. make a run for it to suddenly start running, in order to escape

10. the run of something if you have the run of a place, you are allowed to go anywhere and do anything in it:
We had the run of the house for the afternoon.

11. a run on something
a) a situation in which lots of people suddenly buy a particular product ⇒ rush:
There’s always a run on roses before Valentine’s Day.
b) a run on the dollar/pound etc a situation in which lots of people sell dollars etc and the value goes down
c) a run on the bank an occasion when a lot of people take their money out of a bank at the same time

12. give somebody a (good) run for their money to make your opponent in a competition use all their skill and effort to defeat you:
They’ve given some of the top teams a run for their money this season.

13. have a (good) run for your money informal to succeed in doing something successfully for a long time:
Investors have also had a good run for their money.

14. ILLNESS the runs informal diarrhoea

15. PLAY/FILM [countable] a continuous series of performances of a play, film etc in the same place:
His first play had a three-month run in the West End.

16. JOURNEY [singular]
a) a journey by train, ship, truck etc made regularly between two places:
It’s only a 55-minute run from London to Brighton.
the daily school run (=the journey that parents make each day taking their children to and from school) British English
b) informal a short journey in a car, for pleasure:
Let’s take the car out for a run.

17. FOR ANIMALS [countable] an enclosed area where animals such as chickens or rabbits are kept:
a chicken run

18. SPORT [countable] a point won in cricket or baseball:
Jones made 32 runs this afternoon.

19. WINTER SPORTS [countable] a special area or track on a mountain for people to ski or sledge down:
a ski run

20. ELECTION [countable usually singular] American English an attempt to be elected to an important position
run for
He is preparing a run for the presidency.

21. IN CLOTHES [countable] American English a line of torn stitches in tights or stockings Synonym : ladder British English

22. MUSIC [countable] a set of notes played or sung quickly up or down a scale in a piece of music

23. CARD GAMES [countable] a set of cards with numbers in a series, held by one player
⇒ dry run, dummy run, fun run, milk run, print run, trial run

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

run
noun
I. on foot
ADJ. five-mile, etc. | fun, sponsored The local council has organized a two-mile fun run for charity.
training | record-breaking The Ethiopian is aiming to produce his second record-breaking run of the week.
VERB + RUN go for, have Let's go for a run before dinner.
go on I'm going on a sponsored run tomorrow.
break into When he saw me he broke into a run.
take He took a run at the wall and just managed to clear it.
PREP. at a ~ She took the stairs at a run.
on the ~ (= escaping by running) The prisoners have now been on the run for three days.
PHRASES make a run for it (= escape by running)

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

run
II. of success/failure
ADJ. bad, disappointing, disastrous, dismal, poor | excellent, fine, good, remarkable, successful | unbeaten, winning | record-breaking
VERB + RUN enjoy, have Spurs have had a winning run of ten games.
begin | end Manchester United have finally ended their run of victories.
RUN + VERB begin | end
PREP. ~ of a run of good/bad luck

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

run
III. of a play/film
ADJ. long | short | eight-week, six-month, etc. | successful | sell-out
VERB + RUN have The play had a long run in the West End.
begin They play began its run last June.
end
RUN + VERB begin | end

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

run
IV. way things are/happen
ADJ. common, general, ordinary, usual She was very different from the general run of American movie stars. In the normal run of things the only exercise he gets is climbing in and out of taxis.
PHRASES against the run of play Villa scored in the 15th minute against the run of play (= although the other team had seemed more likely to score).

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

run
V. in cricket/baseball
ADJ. home
VERB + RUN get, make, score They've got another run! He's only made four home runs all season.
be on, have Our team is on 90 runs.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

run
VI. attempt/practice
ADJ. dry, dummy, practice, trial

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

run
verb
I. move quickly on foot
ADV. fast, quickly John can run very fast. She ran quickly downstairs.
blindly | headlong | away, downstairs, home, off, out, upstairs
VERB + RUN begin to, turn and/to | want to He just wanted to run away and hide.
PREP. down She turned and ran blindly down the street.
into He ran headlong into an enemy patrol.
out of He ran out of the house.
to, towards, up, etc.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

run
II. manage sth
ADV. efficiently, properly, well | badly a badly-run company
professionally | jointly The programme will be jointly run with NASA in the US.
personally | privately | independently The student union is run independently of college authorities.
in parallel, in tandem The two experiments are run in parallel.
VERB + RUN try to Stop trying to run my life for me.
manage to | help (to), help sb (to)

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

run
III. work
ADV. efficiently, smoothly The engine was running very smoothly.
PREP. on Our car only runs on unleaded petrol.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

run
IV. happen
ADV. smoothly Things ran very smoothly for a while.
concurrently, consecutively He was given two twelve-month sentences to run concurrently.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

run
V. buses/trains
ADV. regularly Local buses run regularly to and from the town.
late The train was running late, as usual.
PREP. between, from, to

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

run
verb
BAD: The car was running too fast for me to see the number plate.
GOOD: The car was moving too fast for me to see the number plate.

Usage Note:
Vehicles travel , move or go at a certain speed in a certain direction (NOT run ): 'We're travelling at just under 70 miles an hour.' 'How fast was the train going when the accident occurred?'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

control to have power over a country, place, company etc, and decide what happens there:
The Democrats controlled the US Congress.
Government forces now control the city.
run to make the important everyday decisions concerning a company, organization, country etc, so that it can continue to operate:
He runs a software company in New York.
The parents want to run the school themselves.
The government is unfit to run the country.
The charity runs a medical clinic in one of the poorest parts of the city.
be in charge of somebody/something to have control over something, or responsibility for a group of people:
She is in charge of training new employees.
I left him in charge of the children while I was out.
manage to be in charge of a company, especially one that someone else owns:
In 1963, she opened a furniture store, and her son has managed it since 1985.
be in power if a group or leader is in power, they have political control of a country:
Abe resigned after less than a year in power.
It was the first time a democratically elected government had been in power.
rule if a leader or political group rules a country, they have political control of that country:
President Assad ruled the country for almost 30 years.
The same party has ruled Japan for many years.
supervise to be in charge of a group of workers or students and make sure that they do their work properly:
Professor Braude supervised the research team.
He’s supervising the building work.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

flow if liquid flows, it moves in a steady continuous stream:
Blood flowed from his hand.
The river flows very quickly at this point.
run to flow – used when saying that something flows in a particular direction:
Water was running down the walls of the room.
Sweat ran off his nose.
The river runs into the sea.
come out to flow out of something:
You couldn't drink any of the water that came out of the tap.
pour to flow in large quantities:
The rain poured down.
Blood was pouring from a wound on his head.
gush to flow out quickly in very large quantities:
Water was gushing out at more than 3000 gallons a minute.
spurt to flow out suddenly with a lot of force:
Oil was spurting from a small hole in the pipe.
trickle to flow slowly in drops or in a thin stream:
Clare felt sweat trickling down the back of her neck.
leak to flow in or out through a small hole or crack, usually when this is not meant to happen:
Oil was leaking from the engine.
ooze to flow from something very slowly – used about blood or a thick liquid:
Blood was oozing from the wound.
Jam oozed out as she bit into the cake.
drip to fall in drops:
Water dripped from the tap continuously.
cascade to flow down the side of something in large amounts:
Water cascades down the hilllside.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

rule an instruction that says what people are allowed to do or not allowed to do, for example in a game, school, or company:
the rules of baseball
He disobeyed the school rules.
law an official rule that everyone in a country, city, or state must obey:
It is against the law to carry a concealed weapon.
The law requires motorcyclists to wear helmets.
regulation an official rule or order, which is part of a set of rules made by a government or organization:
the regulations for applying for a passport
building regulations
environmental regulations on air pollution
restriction an official rule that limits what people can do:
new restrictions on immigration
The government is planning to impose regulations on the amount of alcohol you can bring into the country.
guidelines rules or instructions about the best way to do something:
the Department of Health’s guidelines for a healthy diet
guidelines for classroom teachers
code a set of rules that people or organizations agree to obey but are not forced to obey:
The school has a dress code for its students.
the company’s code of conduct
statute formal a law that has been officially approved by a parliament, council etc, and written down:
The statute banned corporal punishment.
ordinance American English a law, made by a city or town, that forbids or restricts an activity:
A local ordinance limited speed in the parks to ten miles an hour.
control to have power over a country, place, company etc, and decide what happens there:
The Democrats controlled the US Congress.
Government forces now control the city.
run to make the important everyday decisions concerning a company, organization, country etc, so that it can continue to operate:
He runs a software company in New York.
The parents want to run the school themselves.
The government is unfit to run the country.
The charity runs a medical clinic in one of the poorest parts of the city.
be in charge of somebody/something to have control over something, or responsibility for a group of people:
She is in charge of training new employees.
I left him in charge of the children while I was out.
manage to be in charge of a company, especially one that someone else owns:
In 1963, she opened a furniture store, and her son has managed it since 1985.
be in power if a group or leader is in power, they have political control of a country:
Abe resigned after less than a year in power.
It was the first time a democratically elected government had been in power.
supervise to be in charge of a group of workers or students and make sure that they do their work properly:
Professor Braude supervised the research team.
He’s supervising the building work.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

run to move very quickly, by moving your legs more quickly than when you walk:
My five-year-old son runs everywhere.
I go running twice a week.
jog to run quite slowly for exercise over a long distance:
A few people were jogging in the park.
race/dash to run somewhere as quickly as you can, especially because you have to do something urgently:
He dashed across the road to the police station.
We raced to the bus stop and got there just in time.
sprint to run as fast as you can for a short distance:
I saw the runners sprinting past.
He sprinted up the stairs.
tear to run very quickly and without really looking where you are going, because you are in a hurry:
He tore down the street and around the corner.
charge to run quickly and with a lot of energy, so that you might knock down anyone or anything that gets in your way:
They all charged out of the school gates at 4 o'clock.
Dennis charged through the door into my office.
take to your heels to start running away very quickly, especially to escape or because you are afraid:
The men took to their heels as soon as they saw the police.
leg it British English informal to run away very quickly, in order to escape from someone or something:
I legged it before the cops came.
lope especially literary to run easily with long steps – used especially about tall people with long legs:
John loped across the street to meet me.
trot to run fairly slowly, taking short steps – used especially about horses and dogs:
A little dog was trotting behind her.
gallop if a horse gallops, it runs very quickly:
The horse galloped off across the field.
bolt to suddenly run somewhere very fast, especially in order to escape:
Suddenly a fox bolted out from beneath a hedge.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

run
rʌn
See: blood runs cold , end run , cut and run , first-run , home run , in the long run , in the running , on the run , out of the running , second-run

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲