run 1 of 5

1
2
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
6
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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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
16

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
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
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)

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
2
3
as in went
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 ranged
to occur within a continuous range of variation the electric bill runs between 30 and 50 dollars a month

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5
6
7
as in tended
to show a liking or proneness (for something) unfortunately, members of his family run to fatness

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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
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

11
12
13
14
as in cost
to have a price of that sort of computer runs at least several hundred dollars

Synonyms & Similar Words

15
16

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
Prior to that, Cole ran communications at Dollar Shave Club. Jennifer Maas, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025 Lawmakers could adjust the boundaries so that the 1st District runs further south into Newton and Jasper, both counties that Trump won by more than 50 percentage points in 2024. Indianapolis Star, IndyStar, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
Circus Maximus documents a run of shows in Italy from the beginning of his brief tour behind his Luck and Strange album. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2025 Gary Grief resigned as the lottery's executive director after a 15-year run shortly after the Texas Sunset Commission cited examples of mismanagement and lax oversight at the agency. John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Verb
Paddack allowed only one run over six innings in his most recent start against the Dodgers. Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 29 July 2025 Investigators said a 72-year-old man driving a pickup truck pulled out of his parking spot, then ran over the mother and her infant. Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2025
Verb
The Black Knights run the highest percentage of run concepts using outside zone and man. Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024 Founder Margiela retired in 2009, and the label was run by an anonymous team (one that for a time included Bottega Veneta creative director Matthieu Blazy) until Galliano’s appointment. Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for run
Recent Examples of Synonyms for run
Noun
  • Birds love the honeysuckle and porcelain vine fruits and have the infuriating tendency to pass them through their system undamaged, and then deposit them in your garden, in tremendous numbers, encased in a nice little fertilizer packet.
    Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Since the start of the offseason program, Smith has studied both kickers’ tendencies.
    Mike Kaye August 14, Charlotte Observer, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The brook had left its channel and begun a new channel across the valley.
    John Seabrook, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
  • Smaller brooks, ordinarily not containing flowing water, became raging torrents which could be crossed only by swimming.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 8 July 2025
Noun
  • Residents experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, throat irritation or chest discomfort were advised to decrease the intensity and duration of outdoor activities.
    Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
  • The vaccine itself reduces the risk, severity and duration of long COVID symptoms.
    Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 2 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Restrictions should include prohibiting sharing information about residents, removing federal agents from local police facilities, and rescinding or narrowing authorizations to enforce local law.
    Spencer Reynolds, Time, 8 Aug. 2025
  • What used to require a single prior authorization could now face multiple layers, which means more delays and higher denial rates.
    Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • In the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, a green toy was thrown in the direction of Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.
    Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
  • By engaging early in the regulatory process, businesses can influence the direction of policy and gain a better understanding of upcoming changes.
    Ted Kail, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The boy, who was never identified until forensic genealogy recently helped crack the case, had been found beaten to death in the creek on June 13 of that year, according to police.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
  • It is situated along a creek just off California State Route 2 in Angeles National Forest.
    Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
Noun
  • The film, Variety reported, will be playing in about 300 theaters nationwide and a wider expansion — at least for the time being — seems to be out of the cards.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Vogue: When was the last time each of you saw Black Swan?
    Keaton Bell, Vogue, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The guidelines aren’t mandatory, and Subramanian will have wide latitude in deciding Combs’ punishment.
    Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025
  • However, the law requires the county executive to conduct an open search process and is given broad latitude.
    Charles E. Sydnor, Baltimore Sun, 30 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Run.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/run. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

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