Definition Definition

run - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'run' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Run
- of Run
2 . Run [ a.]
- To move, proceed, advance, pass, go, come, etc., swiftly, smoothly, or with quick action; -- said of things animate or inanimate. Hence, to flow, glide, or roll onward, as a stream, a snake, a wagon, etc.; to move by quicker action than in walking, as a person, a horse, a dog.
- To go swiftly; to pass at a swift pace; to hasten.
- To flee, as from fear or danger.
- To steal off; to depart secretly.
- To contend in a race; hence, to enter into a contest; to become a candidate; as, to run for Congress.
- To pass from one state or condition to another; to come into a certain condition; -- often with in or into; as, to run into evil practices; to run in debt.
- To exert continuous activity; to proceed; as, to run through life; to run in a circle.
- To pass or go quickly in thought or conversation; as, to run from one subject to another.
- To discuss; to continue to think or speak about something; -- with on.
- To make numerous drafts or demands for payment, as upon a bank; -- with on.
- To creep, as serpents.
- To flow, as a liquid; to ascend or descend; to course; as, rivers run to the sea; sap runs up in the spring; her blood ran cold.
- To proceed along a surface; to extend; to spread.
- To become fluid; to melt; to fuse.
- To turn, as a wheel; to revolve on an axis or pivot; as, a wheel runs swiftly round.
- To travel; to make progress; to be moved by mechanical means; to go; as, the steamboat runs regularly to Albany; the train runs to Chicago.
- To extend; to reach; as, the road runs from Philadelphia to New York; the memory of man runneth not to the contrary.
- To go back and forth from place to place; to ply; as, the stage runs between the hotel and the station.
- To make progress; to proceed; to pass.
- To continue in operation; to be kept in action or motion; as, this engine runs night and day; the mill runs six days in the week.
- To have a course or direction; as, a line runs east and west.
- To be in form thus, as a combination of words.
- To be popularly known; to be generally received.
- To have growth or development; as, boys and girls run up rapidly.
- To tend, as to an effect or consequence; to incline.
- To spread and blend together; to unite; as, colors run in washing.
- To have a legal course; to be attached; to continue in force, effect, or operation; to follow; to go in company; as, certain covenants run with the land.
- To continue without falling due; to hold good; as, a note has thirty days to run.
- To discharge pus or other matter; as, an ulcer runs.
- To be played on the stage a number of successive days or nights; as, the piece ran for six months.
- To sail before the wind, in distinction from reaching or sailing closehauled; -- said of vessels.
- Specifically, of a horse: To move rapidly in a gait in which each leg acts in turn as a propeller and a supporter, and in which for an instant all the limbs are gathered in the air under the body.
- To move rapidly by springing steps so that there is an instant in each step when neither foot touches the ground; -- so distinguished from walking in athletic competition.
- Melted, or made from molten material; cast in a mold; as, run butter; run iron or lead.
- Smuggled; as, run goods.
3 . Run [ n.]
- The act of running; as, a long run; a good run; a quick run; to go on the run.
- A small stream; a brook; a creek.
- That which runs or flows in the course of a certain operation, or during a certain time; as, a run of must in wine making; the first run of sap in a maple orchard.
- A course; a series; that which continues in a certain course or series; as, a run of good or bad luck.
- State of being current; currency; popularity.
- Continued repetition on the stage; -- said of a play; as, to have a run of a hundred successive nights.
- A continuing urgent demand; especially, a pressure on a bank or treasury for payment of its notes.
- A range or extent of ground for feeding stock; as, a sheep run.
- The aftermost part of a vessel's hull where it narrows toward the stern, under the quarter.
- The distance sailed by a ship; as, a good run; a run of fifty miles.
- A voyage; as, a run to China.
- A pleasure excursion; a trip.
- The horizontal distance to which a drift may be carried, either by license of the proprietor of a mine or by the nature of the formation; also, the direction which a vein of ore or other substance takes.
- A roulade, or series of running tones.
- The greatest degree of swiftness in marching. It is executed upon the same principles as the double-quick, but with greater speed.
- The act of migrating, or ascending a river to spawn; -- said of fish; also, an assemblage or school of fishes which migrate, or ascend a river for the purpose of spawning.
- In baseball, a complete circuit of the bases made by a player, which enables him to score one; in cricket, a passing from one wicket to the other, by which one point is scored; as, a player made three runs; the side went out with two hundred runs.
- A pair or set of millstones.
4 . Run [ p. p.]
- of Run
5 . Run [ v. i.]
- To pursue in thought; to carry in contemplation.
- To cause to enter; to thrust; as, to run a sword into or through the body; to run a nail into the foot.
- To drive or force; to cause, or permit, to be driven.
- To fuse; to shape; to mold; to cast; as, to run bullets, and the like.
- To cause to be drawn; to mark out; to indicate; to determine; as, to run a line.
- To cause to pass, or evade, offical restrictions; to smuggle; -- said of contraband or dutiable goods.
- To go through or accomplish by running; as, to run a race; to run a certain career.
- To cause to stand as a candidate for office; to support for office; as, to run some one for Congress.
- To encounter or incur, as a danger or risk; as, to run the risk of losing one's life. See To run the chances, below.
- To put at hazard; to venture; to risk.
- To discharge; to emit; to give forth copiously; to be bathed with; as, the pipe or faucet runs hot water.
- To be charged with, or to contain much of, while flowing; as, the rivers ran blood.
- To conduct; to manage; to carry on; as, to run a factory or a hotel.
- To tease with sarcasms and ridicule.
- To sew, as a seam, by passing the needle through material in a continuous line, generally taking a series of stitches on the needle at the same time.
- To migrate or move in schools; -- said of fish; esp., to ascend a river in order to spawn.
6 . Run [ v. t.]
- To cause to run (in the various senses of Run, v. i.); as, to run a horse; to run a stage; to run a machine; to run a rope through a block.

Meaning of 'run' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . run [ n]
Meaning (1):
- the production achieved during a continuous period of operation (of a machine or factory etc.)
Example in sentence:
  • a daily run of 100,000 gallons of paint
Meaning (2):
- an unbroken series of events
Example in sentence:
  • had a streak of bad luck;
  • Nicklaus had a run of birdies
Meaning (3):
- the act of running; traveling on foot at a fast pace
Example in sentence:
  • he broke into a run;
  • his daily run keeps him fit
Meaning (4):
- the act of testing something
Example in sentence:
  • he called each flip of the coin a new trial;
  • in the experimental trials the amount of carbon was measured separately
Meaning (5):
- unrestricted freedom to use
Example in sentence:
  • he has the run of the house
Meaning (6):
- a race between candidates for elective office
Example in sentence:
  • he is raising money for a Senate run;
  • I managed his campaign for governor
Meaning (7):
- a race run on foot
Example in sentence:
  • she broke the record for the half-mile run
Meaning (8):
- a row of unravelled stitches
Example in sentence:
  • she got a run in her stocking
Meaning (9):
- a short trip
Example in sentence:
  • take a run into town
Meaning (10):
- the continuous period of time during which something (a machine or a factory) operates or continues in operation
Example in sentence:
  • the assembly line was on a 12-hour run
Meaning (11):
- (American football) a play in which a player attempts to carry the ball through or past the opposing team
Example in sentence:
  • the coach put great emphasis on running;
  • the defensive line braced to stop the run
Meaning (12):
- an unbroken chronological sequence
Example in sentence:
  • the play had a long run on Broadway;
  • the team enjoyed a brief run of victories
Meaning (13):
- a regular trip
Example in sentence:
  • the ship made its run in record time
Meaning (14):
- a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
Example in sentence:
  • the Yankees scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th;
  • their first tally came in the 3rd inning
15 . run [ v]
Meaning (15):
- include as the content; broadcast or publicize
Example in sentence:
  • All major networks carried the press conference;
  • This paper carries a restaurant review;
  • We ran the ad three times
Meaning (16):
- have a particular form
Example in sentence:
  • as the saying goes...;
  • the story or argument runs as follows
Meaning (17):
- perform as expected when applied
Example in sentence:
  • Does this old car still run well?;
  • The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in;
  • This old radio doesn't work anymore
Meaning (18):
- move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
Example in sentence:
  • Don't run--you'll be out of breath;
  • The children ran to the store
Meaning (19):
- change or be different within limits
Example in sentence:
  • Estimates for the losses in the earthquake range as high as $2 billion;
  • Interest rates run from 5 to 10 percent;
  • My students range from very bright to dull;
  • The instruments ranged from tuba to cymbals
Meaning (20):
- pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
Example in sentence:
  • Goering often hunted wild boars in Poland;
  • The dogs are running deer;
  • The Duke hunted in these woods
Meaning (21):
- pass over, across, or through
Example in sentence:
  • He drew her hair through his fingers;
  • He ran his eyes over her body;
  • She ran her fingers along the carved figurine
Meaning (22):
- have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
Example in sentence:
  • He inclined to corpulence;
  • She tends to be nervous before her lectures;
  • These dresses run small
Meaning (23):
- compete in a race
Example in sentence:
  • he is running the Marathon this year;
  • let's race and see who gets there first
Meaning (24):
- cause to emit recorded audio or video
Example in sentence:
  • He never tires of playing that video;
  • I'll play you my favorite record;
  • They ran the tapes over and over again
Meaning (25):
- come unraveled or undone as if by snagging
Example in sentence:
  • Her nylons were running
Meaning (26):
- stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point
Example in sentence:
  • His knowledge doesn't go very far;
  • My memory extends back to my fourth year of life;
  • Service runs all the way to Cranbury;
  • The facts extend beyond a consideration of her personal assets
Meaning (27):
- flee; take to one's heels; cut and run
Example in sentence:
  • If you see this man, run!;
  • The burglars escaped before the police showed up
Meaning (28):
- move about freely and without restraint, or act as if running around in an uncontrolled way
Example in sentence:
  • let the dogs run free;
  • She runs around telling everyone of her troubles;
  • who are these people running around in the building?
Meaning (29):
- reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating
Example in sentence:
  • melt butter;
  • melt down gold;
  • The wax melted in the sun
Meaning (30):
- occur persistently
Example in sentence:
  • Musical talent runs in the family
Meaning (31):
- carry out a process or program, as on a computer or a machine
Example in sentence:
  • run a new program on the Mac;
  • Run the dishwasher;
  • the computer executed the instruction
Meaning (32):
- cause to perform
Example in sentence:
  • run a process;
  • run a subject
Meaning (33):
- be affected by; be subjected to
Example in sentence:
  • run a risk;
  • run a temperature
Meaning (34):
- change from one state to another
Example in sentence:
  • run amok;
  • run riot;
  • run rogue
Meaning (35):
- carry out
Example in sentence:
  • run an errand;
  • take action;
  • take steps;
  • take vengeance
Meaning (36):
- cause an animal to move fast
Example in sentence:
  • run the dogs
Meaning (37):
- cause something to pass or lead somewhere
Example in sentence:
  • Run the wire behind the cabinet
Meaning (38):
- progress by being changed
Example in sentence:
  • run through your presentation before the meeting;
  • The speech has to go through several more drafts
Meaning (39):
- travel rapidly, by any (unspecified) means
Example in sentence:
  • Run to the store!;
  • She always runs to Italy, because she has a lover there
Meaning (40):
- direct or control; projects, businesses, etc.
Example in sentence:
  • She is running a relief operation in the Sudan
Meaning (41):
- cover by running; run a certain distance
Example in sentence:
  • She ran 10 miles that day
Meaning (42):
- travel a route regularly
Example in sentence:
  • Ships ply the waters near the coast
Meaning (43):
- be operating, running or functioning
Example in sentence:
  • The car is still running--turn it off!
Meaning (44):
- extend or continue for a certain period of time
Example in sentence:
  • The film runs 5 hours
Meaning (45):
- keep company
Example in sentence:
  • the heifers run with the bulls to produce offspring
Meaning (46):
- continue to exist
Example in sentence:
  • The legend of Elvis endures;
  • These stories die hard
Meaning (47):
- move along, of liquids
Example in sentence:
  • the Missouri feeds into the Mississippi;
  • Water flowed into the cave
Meaning (48):
- become undone
Example in sentence:
  • the sweater unraveled
Meaning (49):
- be diffused
Example in sentence:
  • These dyes and colors are guaranteed not to run
Meaning (50):
- run, stand, or compete for an office or a position
Example in sentence:
  • Who's running for treasurer this year?