1
: a final race, contest, or election to decide an earlier one that has not resulted in a decision in favor of any one competitor
2
: the portion of precipitation on land that ultimately reaches streams often with dissolved or suspended material
ran off; run off; running off; runs off
1
a
: to recite, compose, or produce rapidly
b
: to cause to be run or played to a finish
c
: to decide (a race) by a runoff
d
2
: to drain off : draw off
3
a
: to drive off (someone, such as a trespasser)
b
: to steal (animals, such as cattle) by driving away
see also run off with
Examples of runoff in a Sentence
Verb
the dog often ran off cats and other animals that had intruded upon his owner's property
their rebellious daughter's run off because she was disciplined again
Recent Examples on the Web
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to a June 7 runoff.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2025
Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
McIlroy ran off a streak of pars after that, but as Justin Rose and Ludvig Åberg attempted to make a run up the leaderboard, the 2022 Masters runner-up again put his foot on the gas.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for runoff
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Noun
Southern California cities can expect to receive 50% of their full water allotments this year from the aqueducts of the State Water Project, up from 40% last month, as runoff from this year’s ample snowpack continues to fill reservoirs in Northern California.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to a June 7 runoff.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
Pena ran off three victories after that, beating Milana Dudieva, Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano before Valentina Shevchenko ended her winning streak with a January 2017 armbar submission.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
McIlroy ran off a streak of pars after that, but as Justin Rose and Ludvig Åberg attempted to make a run up the leaderboard, the 2022 Masters runner-up again put his foot on the gas.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for runoff
Cite this Entry
“Runoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/runoff. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
runoff
1 of 2 noun
run·off
ˈrən-ˌȯf 
1
: a final contest or election to decide an earlier one that has not given the victory to one competitor
2
: water from rain or snow that flows over the surface of the ground and finally into streams
run off
2 of 2 verbˈrən-ˈȯf,
ˌrən-
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