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
Stephen McGrath, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. celebrated Mother’s Day with his family by swimming in a contaminated Washington, D.C. creek used for sewer runoff.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 May 2025
Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
The demonstrator, who had a slim build and was clad all in black, ran off.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for runoff
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Noun
George Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the hard-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians had conceded defeat after losing in the runoff to Nicusor Dan, the Bucharest mayor who obtained 53.6% of the vote, a margin of more than 829,000 votes.
—Stephen McGrath, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. celebrated Mother’s Day with his family by swimming in a contaminated Washington, D.C. creek used for sewer runoff.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 May 2025
Verb
The Dodgers went into the Wrigley Field crowd after a fan ran off with Chad Kreuter’s cap in the ninth inning of a 6-5 victory.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
The demonstrator, who had a slim build and was clad all in black, ran off.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 16 May 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 29 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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