ran

variants also chiefly dialectal run
past tense of run
1
2
3
as in led
to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction the road runs along the river for a while

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
as in ranged
to occur within a continuous range of variation the electric bill runs between 30 and 50 dollars a month

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5
6
7
as in leaned
to show a liking or proneness (for something) unfortunately, members of his family run to fatness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

8
as in drove
to urge, push, or force onward they ran the horses hard in order to get to the ranch quickly

Synonyms & Similar Words

9
as in operated
to control the mechanical operation of I know how to run that machine

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10
as in became
to eventually have as a state or quality the poor woman ran herself ragged trying to care for all those children

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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as in cost
to have a price of that sort of computer runs at least several hundred dollars

Synonyms & Similar Words

15
16

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ran Both have spent heavily in the transfer market this year — City around £180million in January and a further £220m in the summer, Liverpool just short of £450m this summer — but very few of the incoming players have hit the ground running. Oliver Kay, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2025 The venue will run limited weekday hours, with longer sessions on weekends. Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 8 Nov. 2025 Sweden, Germany, and Italy continue to run active trials for this purpose. Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025 Under the public trees, children ran exultantly between cars. Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025 Passive funds are attractive because, with their investment fees typically running ~80% lower than active funds, they’re viewed as a cheaper way to own a diverse assortment of stocks. Mark Dent, HubSpot, 7 Nov. 2025 The park is run by the amusement park giant Six Flags, which completed an $8 billion merger with Cedar Fair, the park’s previous owner, last year. Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025 Meredith ran for 34 yards on five carries from the quarterback position while missing on his lone pass attempt. Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Nov. 2025 Keep it updated and run regular scans to catch potential risks early. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ran
Verb
  • Pine Ridge, South Dakota — A four-pack of rez dogs trotted toward the lone grocery store, greeting and tailing human companions in hopes of a spare scrap.
    Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • So far in 2025, the Bills have been a team that matched their defensive personnel to what the offense trotted onto the field.
    Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Unsurprisngly, Meg White, who retreated from public life and hasn’t been heard from for over a decade, was a no-show.
    Devon Ivie, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
  • People retreated in fear that more would come.
    Kim Lane Scheppele, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Leo Varadkar led Ireland and Humza Yousaf headed Scotland’s government.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Pelosi retires and Dems begin generational civil war Nancy Pelosi, 85, announced her retirement yesterday as a new generation of much younger Democrats bridles against the elderly cadre under former President Biden, 82, who led them to defeat in the last presidential election.
    Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Republican leaders only need five additional votes to fund the government, and the group involved in the talks has ranged from 10 to 12 Democratic senators.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Republican leaders in the Senate only need five additional votes to fund the government, and the group involved in the talks has ranged from 10 to 12 Democratic senators.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Tigelaar held court over the discussion that flowed over topics including the complexities behind the adaptation of books to TV series, from the unique perspectives of the authors and the TV/film writers tasked with bringing their stories to life.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Nashville and the surrounding areas were not expected to receive any snow, and yet reports flowed in of snowflakes around the city.
    Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Schyler Dethorne raced 68-yards for a TD and Belton tallied scoring runs of six and 52-yards, as Alvarado held a 28-3 lead after the opening quarter.
    Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Much of CoreWeave’s utility has come from offering readily available compute as those companies raced to scale up their own operations.
    Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • And several leaned into consolidation—which in some ways compounded the problem.
    Phil Wahba, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Santi leaned heavily into fabrics and décor from Italian brands Minotti, Paolo Castelli, Casamilano, Foglizzo, Dedar, Rubelli, and Maria Flora for both the interior and exterior.
    Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, was said to have intentionally drove into bicycle lanes to strike some of the cyclists, said Christophe Sueur, the mayor of Saint-Pierre d'Oleron.
    Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Periodically, one or two cars drove up for a box of food, but otherwise, all was quiet.
    Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ran.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.

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