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
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Relevance
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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
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3
4
5
as in flowed
to move in a stream
water running down the window
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6
as in raced
to proceed or move quickly
run and get the nurse
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7
8
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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11
as in melted
to go from a solid to a liquid state
her makeup started to run when she got in the pool
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12
as in managed
to look after and make decisions about
learning to run the family business
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13
as in triggered
to cause to function
in olden days mills were run by flowing water
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14
as in cost
to have a price of
that sort of computer runs at least several hundred dollars
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15
as in traveled
to come or be together as friends
he's been running with a bad crowd lately
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Ran.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.
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