1
as in smuggler
a person who imports or exports goods secretly and illegally
a drug runner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in messenger
one that carries a message or does an errand
sent a runner to tell them that all was ready for the feast
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of runner
Pinch-runner Lane Thomas advanced to second on a balk, and scored on Jac Caglianone's single to center that got by Julio Rodriguez and went all the way to the wall.
—
ABC News, 3 May 2026
He was replaced by pinch-runner Lane Thomas, who immediately advanced to second on closer Andres Munoz’s balk.
—Kansas City Star, 3 May 2026
The marathon launched runners from Newport Beach’s Fashion Island on a trek that took them oceanfront along Pacific Coast Highway, past Upper Newport Bay and then South Coast Plaza, into Santa Ana and on to finish at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.
—Heather McRea, Oc Register, 3 May 2026
The Kenyan runner won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, shattering the previous men’s world record by 65 seconds.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for runner
ABC News, 3 May 2026
He was replaced by pinch-runner Lane Thomas, who immediately advanced to second on closer Andres Munoz’s balk.
—Kansas City Star, 3 May 2026
The marathon launched runners from Newport Beach’s Fashion Island on a trek that took them oceanfront along Pacific Coast Highway, past Upper Newport Bay and then South Coast Plaza, into Santa Ana and on to finish at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.
—Heather McRea, Oc Register, 3 May 2026
The Kenyan runner won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, shattering the previous men’s world record by 65 seconds.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for runner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for runner
Noun
-
That day, six medium-sized speedboats, belonging to drug traffickers or smugglers, had sought refuge from a storm among the breakwaters and docks of the port.—
Óscar Martínez,
The Dial,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Police operations led to the arrest of 480 smugglers last year, the French Interior Ministry said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
If Darwin was the messenger from There, filing from afar to Victorian England, Attenborough is the grand master of Here.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
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According to Plunge, cold-water immersion triggers norepinephrine, a chemical messenger that delivers a burst of energy while sharpening focus.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, Osama bin Laden’s courier, opens fire from behind a door of the guesthouse.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
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The movie stars Austin Abrams, who also starred in Weapons, as a courier who unexpectedly finds himself in the midst of what appears to be the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Runner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runner. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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