ran down

verb

past tense of run down
1
as in found
to come upon after searching, study, or effort finally ran down the answer after hours of research

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dismissed
to express scornfully one's low opinion of constantly running down the city's cultural life won't do anything to improve it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 down Models literally ran down the catwalk at times during Adidas’ high-octane show with multiple acts. — Stephy Chung, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026 The documentary came off iPlayer last year after its window ran down. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026 Hours before, a line ran down 65th Street and around the block with fans trying to score a ticket to the world premiere at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 6 Oct. 2026 The two heard a gunshot and watched as a wounded deer ran down the clearing before collapsing. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Lukes was 0 for 2 with a deep liner that Carter, the center fielder, ran down at the wall in right center. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026 Gold buttons ran down the front placket of the dress, which Obama complemented with gold rings, earrings and ear cuffs. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 11 Sep. 2026 Team investment helped when the league and union’s initial $100 million fund ran down, and flag participation declined, in the early 2010s. — Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Bright flames shot out of an overhead compartment as flight attendants ran down the smoky aisle with fire extinguishers. — Alison J. Stein, HubSpot, 1 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ran down
  1. found
  2. dismissed
  3. learned
  4. minimized
  5. discovered
  6. talked down
  7. located
  8. diminished
Verb
  • Randsburg, which was once a booming California Gold Rush town founded in 1895, has seen most of its residents leave over the years.
    — Joy Benedict, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • At the time, Truell hadn’t founded a company; but three years later, the venture capitalist persuaded her firm, BoxGroup, to invest in the Gen Z engineering savant’s nascent business.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of found
Verb
  • The North has denied responsibility for the incident and dismissed Seoul's demand to apologize and remove its remaining mines.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Three weeks before the election, the chairman of Israel’s Central Elections Committee dismissed the case, but the AID Coalition agreed not to buy more blocks on additional flights.
    — Daniel Brook, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismissed
Verb
  • As a child, Betkowski displayed a morbid curiosity with chemicals and explosives, Cooper learned.
    — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • For decades, junior accountants learned their trade by reconciling accounts, manually entering data, and grinding through the month-end close.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of learned
Verb
  • Whether intentional or unintentional, the creation of new space debris by future space missions must be minimized as much as possible.
    — David Zamora, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Forests may occasionally have to be sacrificed for economic development, said Tuan Vo of Can Tho University, but the damage should be minimized by consulting experts and understanding how changes could affect river flows.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of minimized
Verb
  • Filling in because of an injury, Tucker, a freshman, has discovered the importance of getting the ball to Davis, who has 11 touchdown receptions.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Kriemler first discovered Jungwirth’s paintings at Thaddaeus Ropac about five years ago, traveling expressly to Bilbao, Spain, two years ago just to catch the big Jungwirth retrospective at the Guggenheim there.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of discovered
Verb
  • Oversimplifying things, on the other hand, would leave hardcore fans feeling as if they were being talked down to.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • There is a sense that it is patronised and talked down to a lot of the time.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of talked down
Verb
  • Set the scene The hotel is located in the town of Lenox, home to a balanced blend of family locals with young tourists sprinkled very sparsely throughout.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Four of the five locations were located in the Golden State, with Compton at the very bottom of the list.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of located
Verb
  • Such a trend, however diminished, persists particularly among constituencies with close institutional ties to the state.
    — Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Finally, Nieves encouraged young salsa singers to pursue their dreams, even as radio and other traditional avenues for exposure have diminished.
    — Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of diminished

Browse Nearby Words

randomness
ran down
randy
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Cite this Entry

“Ran down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran%20down. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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