rundown

1 of 3

noun

run·​down ˈrən-ˌdau̇n 

1

: an item-by-item report or review : summary

2

: a play in baseball in which a base runner who is caught off base is chased by two or more opposing players who throw the ball from one to another in an attempt to tag the runner out

run-down

2 of 3

adjective

ˈrən-ˈdau̇n 

1

: being in poor repair : dilapidated

2

: worn-out, exhausted entry 1

3

: completely unwound

run down

3 of 3

verb

ran down; run down; running down; runs down

transitive verb

1

a

: to collide with and knock down

b

: to run against and cause to sink

2

a

: to chase to exhaustion or until captured

The cops ran the thief down in an alley.

b

: to find (someone or something) after searching

c

: to tag out (a base runner) between bases on a rundown

3

: disparage

was always running himself down

4

: to say or repeat from beginning to end

ran down the list of names

intransitive verb

1

: to cease to operate because of the exhaustion of motive power

the clock ran down

2

: to decline in physical condition or vigor

Synonyms of rundown

Noun

• summary

Adjective

• dilapidated
• neglected

Verb

• find
• learn
• discover
• locate
• track (down)
• get
• find out

Examples of rundown in a Sentence

Noun

They gave us a rundown on the main points of the news.

a rundown of our public services

He was caught in a rundown.

Adjective

a run-down old house that really should be torn down

I'm afraid I'll be staying home today as I'm feeling run-down

Verb

finally ran down the answer after hours of research

constantly running down the city's cultural life won't do anything to improve it

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Here is a rundown on some of the women Costner has been connected to since entering her bachelor era. — Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

However, the Geekbench benchmark and our battery rundown test are comparable across platforms, offering at least a glimpse into how individual Googlebooks compare with parallel MacBooks and Windows laptops. — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 11 Oct. 2026

Adjective

Meanwhile, French students are rioting in the streets to protest missing teachers, run-down classrooms, and buildings that aren’t equipped for rising temperatures. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026

Protesters say years of underinvestment have left French schools overcrowded, run-down, under-resourced and under-staffed. — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

Verb

But as New York tried to run down the clock, Cam Skattebo fumbled, and Washington recovered. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Italy‘s Rai has bought the Fox and Fremantle reboot starring Stephen Amell, Brooks Nader and Noah Beck after its first window deal with Prime Video Italy runs down. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1908, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1686, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for rundown

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

rundown

1 of 3 noun

run·​down ˈrən-ˌdau̇n 

: an item by item report : summary

run-down

2 of 3 adjective

ˈrən-ˈdau̇n

1

: being in poor condition

a run-down farm

2

: being in or indicating poor health

that run-down feeling

run down

3 of 3 verb

ˈrən-ˈdau̇n

1

: to collide with and knock down

2

a

: to chase until exhausted or captured

b

: to find by search : trace the source of

3

: to stop operating because of the exhaustion of an energy source

the battery ran down