rundown

1 of 3

noun

run·​down ˈrən-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce rundown (audio)
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

1
: being in poor repair : dilapidated
2
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
b
: to trace the source of
c
: to tag out (a base runner) between bases on a rundown
3

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

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. 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
One-day tickets and the lineup-by-day rundown will be available at a later date. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2024 Here’s a rundown of what happens next: President Both former President Trump and Biden need to be formally nominated by their parties at conventions this summer. David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 What was once an unwelcoming, rundown space is now bursting with books, mugs, memorabilia, and photos of the team over the years. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2024 Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big new singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2024 Ross's makeup artist, Molly Greenwald, gives us a rundown of her dewy, glowy look. Essence, 26 Feb. 2024 Here’s the quick rundown: First, sauté the mushrooms. Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 31 Jan. 2024 Last, a great and thorough rundown from the Allergen Extract Laboratory. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2024 Here’s a quick rundown of races to look out for in March and how to sign up. Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 23 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 15 Mar. 2024 Looking back at him, across the city’s run-down high-rises, was the looming statue of Christ the Redeemer. Max Bearak, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 The symptoms of measles generally appear about seven to 21 days after exposure and include a high fever, cough, runny nose, blotchy rash, feeling run-down or achy and red, watery eyes. The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024 Torres Soto’s TikTok post about one run-down bathroom at her school resonated with students at other schools. Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 29 Feb. 2024 Some stately churches that house Black congregations stand virtually empty even on Sundays, while Latino evangelicals pack run-down storefronts. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Drug use surged, and the place grew unsafe and run-down. Penelope Green, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024 Set in the Cloudy Falls residence, a run-down apartment complex in Niagara Falls that seems destined to be torn down, the film tells the story of a handful of its tenants, chosen at random by the narrator, Rita (Susan Berger), the building’s glib superintendent. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Feb. 2024 The house started as a whimsical idea by branding guru John-Patrick Flynn in 2021: Purchase a run-down Midcentury Modern tract home in Palm Springs and invite Shag to reimagine it as one of his artworks. Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2024
Verb
The hour is packed with standout moments: Brennan turning Hodgins' handshake into a hug, Hodgins and Angela finally getting together, Booth running down that hill and pulling Brennan out of the dirt. Kelly Connolly, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024 Ying then ran down the hallway toward the victim, stopping right in front of her, apparently sparking concern from the client waiting in the massage parlor. Emma Colton, Fox News, 17 Mar. 2024 The title runs down the spine in platinum, while the doublures are black goatskin with platinum tooling. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2024 Little Elliotte, on her birthday, runs down there to go retrieve her planes to come back and do it again, and sure enough Wyatt was locked and loaded. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 One is a golden-brown color with some darker brown stripes on the tip of its tail, while another is beige-brown with dark brown stripes running down its back and tail. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2024 The hotel employee entered the room at about 11 a.m. before being seen on camera quickly shutting the door and running down the hallway, according to the affidavit. Landon Mion, Fox News, 27 Feb. 2024 For over half a decade Mbappe has been letting contracts run down and then miraculously resigning for more years. Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024 On Instagram, the singer shared the album cover, which shows sparkling tears running down her face. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rundown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of rundown was in 1686

Dictionary Entries Near rundown

Cite this Entry

“Rundown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rundown. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rundown

1 of 3 noun
run·​down ˈrən-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce rundown (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on rundown

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