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
Synonyms
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
Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2023
Musk’s lax approach to content moderation also nearly got the platform banned during the 2022 presidential runoffs in Brazil, the platform’s third largest market.
—WIRED, 17 Nov. 2023
If no candidate in the special election gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the city must schedule a runoff among the two top finishers.
—Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2023
Houston mayor: Democratic state Sen. John Whitmire and Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee are headed to a runoff.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2023
To get into the runoff, however, Garvey would have to consolidate most of the vote from the state’s Republican minority.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023
One method of doing so is to divert stormwater runoff into scooped basins that have been built over porous ground into which the water quickly sinks.
—Erica Gies, Scientific American, 25 Oct. 2023
Mark Kelly With all eyes on the Gaza Strip and Israel last week, some good international news out of South America deserves attention: In Ecuador’s runoff presidential election, center-right candidate Daniel Noboa emerged victorious.
—Mary Anastasia O’Grady, WSJ, 22 Oct. 2023
Argentina is just a day away from a Presidential runoff election that may bring to power the most bizarre candidate whom the nation has produced since democracy was restored there, exactly forty years ago.
—Graciela Mochkofsky, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2023
Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2023
And for more than half a year, Microsoft tried to woo Sony, with talks running off and on until late August, when the head of Microsoft’s gaming division, Phil Spencer, emailed a Sony executive, Jim Ryan, with a list of games that Microsoft would guarantee could remain on PlayStation.
—David McCabe, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2023
All this, only to see his film get run off a cliff.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Nov. 2023
The match was tied at 12, but after the Dons ran off five straight points, the end seemed inevitable.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2023
Since then, law enforcement has posited that a band of thieves ran off with the toilet in at least two getaway cars.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023
The little girl walked onto a plane and immediately ran off, bawling.
—Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023
Hill flashed a peace sign to the video before running off the field.
—Scott Thompson, Fox News, 15 Oct. 2023
If your neighborhood is prone to urban flooding, leaving your plants standing keeps more rainfall (or snowfall) from quickly running off because all that plant material holds onto the moisture.
—Benjamin Vogt, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Oct. 2023
See More
Noun
Guatemala court suspends anti-corruption party before presidential election Two months later, in a runoff, Arévalo crushed a longtime politician, Sandra Torres, by 20 points.
—Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2023
Musk’s lax approach to content moderation also nearly got the platform banned during the 2022 presidential runoffs in Brazil, the platform’s third largest market.
—WIRED, 17 Nov. 2023
If no candidate in the special election gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the city must schedule a runoff among the two top finishers.
—Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2023
Houston mayor: Democratic state Sen. John Whitmire and Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee are headed to a runoff.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2023
To get into the runoff, however, Garvey would have to consolidate most of the vote from the state’s Republican minority.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023
One method of doing so is to divert stormwater runoff into scooped basins that have been built over porous ground into which the water quickly sinks.
—Erica Gies, Scientific American, 25 Oct. 2023
Mark Kelly With all eyes on the Gaza Strip and Israel last week, some good international news out of South America deserves attention: In Ecuador’s runoff presidential election, center-right candidate Daniel Noboa emerged victorious.
—Mary Anastasia O’Grady, WSJ, 22 Oct. 2023
Argentina is just a day away from a Presidential runoff election that may bring to power the most bizarre candidate whom the nation has produced since democracy was restored there, exactly forty years ago.
—Graciela Mochkofsky, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2023
Verb
The gunman ran off after the shooting and had not been found as of midmorning, O’Brien said.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2023
And for more than half a year, Microsoft tried to woo Sony, with talks running off and on until late August, when the head of Microsoft’s gaming division, Phil Spencer, emailed a Sony executive, Jim Ryan, with a list of games that Microsoft would guarantee could remain on PlayStation.
—David McCabe, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2023
All this, only to see his film get run off a cliff.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Nov. 2023
The match was tied at 12, but after the Dons ran off five straight points, the end seemed inevitable.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2023
Since then, law enforcement has posited that a band of thieves ran off with the toilet in at least two getaway cars.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023
The little girl walked onto a plane and immediately ran off, bawling.
—Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023
Hill flashed a peace sign to the video before running off the field.
—Scott Thompson, Fox News, 15 Oct. 2023
If your neighborhood is prone to urban flooding, leaving your plants standing keeps more rainfall (or snowfall) from quickly running off because all that plant material holds onto the moisture.
—Benjamin Vogt, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'runoff.' 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
1867, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Verb
1680, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Articles Related to runoff
Dictionary Entries Near runoff
Cite this Entry
“Runoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/runoff. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids 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-
More from Merriam-Webster on runoff
Nglish: Translation of runoff for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about runoff
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