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run 1 of 5

verb (1)

ˈrən How to pronounce run (audio)
Definition of runnext
1
as in to jog
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 to flee
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
as in to lead
to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction the road runs along the river for a while

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

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5
as in to flow
to move in a stream water running down the window

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to race
to proceed or move quickly run and get the nurse

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in to tend
to show a liking or proneness (for something) unfortunately, members of his family run to fatness

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

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

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10
as in to become
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 to melt
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 to manage
to look after and make decisions about learning to run the family business

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13
as in to activate
to cause to function in olden days mills were run by flowing water

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14
as in to cost
to have a price of that sort of computer runs at least several hundred dollars

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15
as in to travel
to come or be together as friends he's been running with a bad crowd lately

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
16
as in to chase
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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run

2 of 5

noun

1
as in tendency
a prevailing or general movement or inclination the company's stock has remained consistent with the overall run of the market

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2
as in brook
chiefly Midland a natural body of running water smaller than a river a run full of catfish

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3
as in duration
the period during which something exists, lasts, or is in progress the actor has been assigned the part for the run of the show

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4
as in authorization
the right to act or move freely gave the dogs the run of the place

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5
as in trots
runs plural abnormally frequent intestinal evacuations with more or less fluid stools with weekend guests in the house, it was no time to get the runs

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run (over)

3 of 5

verb (2)

as in to visit
to make a brief visit I could run over right now if that's good for you

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run over

4 of 5

verb (3)

as in to practice
to do over and over so as to become skilled let's run over this dance number one more time

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ran

5 of 5

verb (4)

variants also chiefly dialectal run
past tense of 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

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
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

Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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

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. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of run
Verb
Garth Brooks, Noname and women running the show Fall means live music. — Kayla Samoy, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 Brian Dillard gets loose in the secondary and Will Jackson hits him for an 85 yard catch and run for the touchdown. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
The woeful run defense and pass rush didn’t prevent them from making a run in the playoffs last season. — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 At the end of each run, the atoms that landed in one of the interferometer’s two exits were sorted by the phase accumulated by the falling path. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
When leadership looks for savings, the instinct is to hunt for programs that ran over budget. — Ryan Austin, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026 Previous incidents involved a man on a motorcycle being fatally struck by a van in 1996, and a woman who was killed after being run over by a trailer in 2003. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
Garth Brooks, Noname and women running the show Fall means live music. — Kayla Samoy, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 Brian Dillard gets loose in the secondary and Will Jackson hits him for an 85 yard catch and run for the touchdown. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for run
Recent Examples of Synonyms for run
  1. jog
  2. flee
  3. lead
  4. vary
  5. flow
  6. race
  7. tend
  8. drive
Verb
  • Later in the frame, Chisholm jogged home slowly after Wells homered off Morán.
    — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In 2022, Oklahoma death row inmate William Reece received three life sentences after pleading guilty to three murders in Texas, including the killing of 12-year-old Laura Smither, who was abducted while jogging near her home in Friendswood in 1997.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of jog
Verb
  • After 2022, most of Russia’s remaining independent media outlets, along with hundreds of thousands of antiwar citizens, fled into exile; any critics who remained in Russia faced the threat of persecution.
    — MICHAEL KIMMAGE, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026
  • As the dust settles, John flees, but Zoe comes with a gun to finish off Hal in the rubble.
    — Joe Otterson, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of flee
Verb
  • The leading causes of alcohol-attributable cancer deaths in 2023 were liver, esophageal and colorectal cancer, according to the study.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026
  • Gemini May 21 – June 20 A playful idea could lead somewhere much more interesting.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of lead
Verb
  • The tariff cost will vary by product, ranging from 15% to 50%, according to reports.
    — Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The robot has additionally been shown crossing icy waterways with depths of up to 80 centimeters, underscoring the company’s focus on developing machines capable of operating across widely varying environments.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of vary
Verb
  • When local issues become national issues Nationalization does not only flow from Washington down.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Prices for most types of petroleum products have gone up since the war with Iran began in late February, amid limits on how much could flow through the Strait of Hormuz.
    — Willa Rubin, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of flow
Verb
  • Bangladesh has been racing to halt the outbreak's spread since March, when more than 100 children died in less than a month.
    — JULHAS ALAM, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Thomas, who signed with Seattle in free agency, raced over at just the right time to break up a deep pass intended for Doubs.
    — Andrew Destin, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of race
Verb
  • But to Porsha’s point about Candiace, sometimes these newer cities tend to lean more into the caricature of being a Real Housewife than show up organically and try to build a sisterhood.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
  • That’s because postseason games tend to be close, and good lineups rarely let any starter last beyond six innings.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of tend
Verb
  • Haaland, along with Martin Odegaard, was the driving force behind Norway’s run to the quarter-finals.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • If Assembly Bill 1709 is approved, social media companies would need to provide platforms to children under 16 years old that do not include personalized feeds driven by algorithms, autoplaying videos and other features.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of drive

Phrases Containing run

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rums
run
runabout
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Cite this Entry

“Run.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/run. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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