variants
also chiefly dialectal run
1
as in trotted
to go at a pace faster than a walk
we ran all the way to the bus stop, but still missed the bus
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in retreated
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
rather than run from a black bear, it's better to hold your ground and make lots of noise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
5
as in flowed
to move in a stream
water running down the window
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in raced
to proceed or move quickly
run and get the nurse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
8
9
as in operated
to control the mechanical operation of
I know how to run that machine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in melted
to go from a solid to a liquid state
her makeup started to run when she got in the pool
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in managed
to look after and make decisions about
learning to run the family business
Synonyms & Similar Words
13
as in triggered
to cause to function
in olden days mills were run by flowing water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
14
as in cost
to have a price of
that sort of computer runs at least several hundred dollars
Synonyms & Similar Words
15
as in traveled
to come or be together as friends
he's been running with a bad crowd lately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
16
as in chased
to go after or on the track of
if that dog continues to run cars, he's going to get seriously hurt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of ran
Francois, who runs a medical rehabilitation in New York and brought his adult kids to see Les Grenadiers, said Haiti’s qualification, achieved amid extraordinary circumstances, was itself cause for celebration.
—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
25 June 2026
Although oil companies still needed to use up a significant portion of their inventories during the supply shock, the demand destruction kept crude stockpiles from running dry.
—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
Younger, more far left candidates across the nation, from California to Indiana, are running this year to try and oust older, longtime congressional incumbents — angering Democratic Party leaders.
—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
25 June 2026
Pakistan has traditionally run large fiscal and external deficits, with a resultant rise in public debt.
—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
25 June 2026
The Constitution's first article explicitly gives states and Congress power over running elections, but not the president.
—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
Reese’s relentless work on the offensive glass runs headlong into Golden State’s small-ball identity – a style built on pace, spacing and 3-and-D versatility.
—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
25 June 2026
Zatima is currently streaming Season 4B, which runs until July 7.
—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
24 June 2026
The Netflix original ran for five seasons, premiering in February 2016 and concluding in June 2020.
—
Diana Pearl,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
25 June 2026
Although oil companies still needed to use up a significant portion of their inventories during the supply shock, the demand destruction kept crude stockpiles from running dry.
—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
Younger, more far left candidates across the nation, from California to Indiana, are running this year to try and oust older, longtime congressional incumbents — angering Democratic Party leaders.
—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
25 June 2026
Pakistan has traditionally run large fiscal and external deficits, with a resultant rise in public debt.
—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
25 June 2026
The Constitution's first article explicitly gives states and Congress power over running elections, but not the president.
—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
Reese’s relentless work on the offensive glass runs headlong into Golden State’s small-ball identity – a style built on pace, spacing and 3-and-D versatility.
—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
25 June 2026
Zatima is currently streaming Season 4B, which runs until July 7.
—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
24 June 2026
The Netflix original ran for five seasons, premiering in February 2016 and concluding in June 2020.
—
Diana Pearl,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ran
Verb
-
About 100 yards to the right, a herd of caribou trotted past.
-
Majestic horses trotted past the grazing hogs.
Verb
-
Oil prices retreated to around $80 a barrel on Friday, down from a peak of $118 in March when the war was at its height.
-
The officer retreated and fired several shots, killing the dog and injuring its owner, who was trying to secure the animal, police said.
Verb
-
Information developed during that case led Hernando County investigators to obtain a search warrant for property connected to the Mansfield family, where four bodies were discovered in the early 1980s.
-
Contrary to what those face-washing commercials from our childhood led us to believe, your skin doesn't need to feel tight or squeaky-clean after cleansing.
Verb
-
Yet, the share of retirees who work has never ranged higher than 34%.
-
Within minutes, the men, who ranged in age from 30 to 60, began chatting among themselves.
Verb
-
That's what happened in 2024, when well over 20,000 votes from that community flowed to Lawler.
-
To that point, human history was a tale of conquest and caste and rigid hierarchies, a world where the strong dominated the weak, where power and wealth and status flowed through lineage and the many were ruled by the few.
Verb
-
The tradition of dragon boat races was born from the story that people raced out in boats to search for the poet and threw rice into the river so fish would not eat his body.
-
Across southeast Asia, governments have raced to facilitate deployment of electric vehicles and other fuel-efficiency measures.
Verb
-
Aniston, on the other hand, leaned into the shoe's casual roots, wearing hers with jeans and a tank top for a relaxed look that felt quintessentially summer.
-
By the 1960s, advertisers have leaned into the new narrative with ads depicting cars as a central piece of home ownership, often showcasing suburban families with a two-car garage.
Verb
-
O'Hearn doubled twice, including one that drove in a pair in the seventh.
-
Bev Hendry, 72, and his brother, Brian Hendry, 67, drove to Miami in a van after attending the two games in Boston along with friends Bob Greig, 70, Steve Docherty, 56, and John Erskine, 77.
Cite this Entry
“Ran.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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