ran

variants also chiefly dialectal run
past tense of run
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as in went
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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as in tended
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

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10
as in turned
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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as in cost
to have a price of that sort of computer runs at least several hundred dollars

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 Blue Jays utility player Ernie Clement atoned for an early base running mistake with a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning to get the scoring started. Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025 Mamdani is running against independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025 The teenager manages to skip around Carreras’ challenge, but the defensive pressure means Yamal runs straight into Orkun Kokcu’s tackle. Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025 The Bachelor season 19 contestant, Jade Roper Tolbert, who runs her own cosmetics company, was also a judge. Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025 Alker wasn’t the only player with a first-round birdie run. Arkansas Online, 25 Oct. 2025 Intel now has two fabs running 18A nodes, which are designed for AI and high-performance computing applications. Kristina Partsinevelos, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025 In addition to its Cajun-style turkey, Popeyes is also running several other promotions during the holiday season, according to a news release. Cheryl V. Jackson, IndyStar, 24 Oct. 2025 Flying from Houston to Orlando is running from $38 to $142 round trip, about 40 percent lower than last year. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ran
Verb
  • As Varsho trotted, the Rogers Centre erupted – and the fans kept partying on the club level well past midnight.
    Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Just as Tommy Fleetwood was preparing to putt on the green at the par-5 18th hole, a collared four-legged visitor trotted onto the fairway.
    Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • At one point in the third quarter, Daniels scrambled against a blitz, stopped to throw, then retreated again 14 yards behind the line of scrimmage and completed a pass while getting crushed to the ground.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Yet, when countered with decisiveness, Putin has retreated.
    Kathleen Collins, Twin Cities, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • After previously awarded National Endowment for the Humanities grants to organizations around the country were canceled in April, Wisconsin Humanities went into survival mode and launched an emergency fundraising campaign.
    Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • On the beauty front, Nader styled her blond hair in loose waves and went with a dewy makeup look.
    Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Purchase prices ranged from about $460,000 to more than $16 million.
    NPR, NPR, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Recently that ranged from a man in his 70s who lost his childhood sweetheart to cancer to a woman who was burying her beloved horse.
    Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Specialty cocktails flowed throughout the night, while Unfortunate Portrait created live custom sketches, bringing a playful touch.
    Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
  • In the past two years, historic droughts have left wide dry patches where deep channels once flowed.
    Isa Cardona, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the past, Ware said, domestic terrorists have tended to aim for higher body counts.
    NPR, NPR, 25 Oct. 2025
  • For men, comfort with being touched was tied to relationship insecurity—those anxious about their relationships were more likely to seek touch for reassurance, while men uncomfortable with closeness tended to dislike being touched themselves.
    Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • However, Paul drove to a bar and took shots with Connor, according to surveillance video from the bar obtained by Greenville News.
    Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The Martinezes drove up from Miami to welcome their new baby to the family.
    Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Hubbarth handled it pretty well, asking a couple of questions on the issues and producing a little news.
    Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Caliendo handled the rest of the game, allowing no quarterback pressures on 32 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
    Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ran.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

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