1
as in smugglers
a person who imports or exports goods secretly and illegally
a drug runner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in messengers
one that carries a message or does an errand
sent a runner to tell them that all was ready for the feast
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of runners
Twenty five seconds after the four runners had made the wrong turn, the original officer assigned to work the intersection returned.
—
Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Yamamoto walked Addison Barger to place runners on the corners, setting up the game-ending double play by Kirk.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Swap plain runners for patterned or textured styles for a polished finish.
—Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 3 Mar. 2026
From there, Harrison was hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners for Royo, who flew out to right field deep enough to drive the runner in.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
The best running sneakers from their list include the Hoka Clifton 10s for new runners and joggers, Saucony Ride 18s for intermediate runners and Nike Vaporfly 4s for experienced runners.
—Claire Peltier, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
The next two runners who followed her off the course — Emma Hurley of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Ednah Kurgat of Roswell, Georgia — were 12th and 13th, respectively.
—CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
The Giants had runners on first and second with one out in the second inning.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Pitcher Steven Duran came in with two runners on and one out.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Yamamoto walked Addison Barger to place runners on the corners, setting up the game-ending double play by Kirk.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Swap plain runners for patterned or textured styles for a polished finish.
—Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 3 Mar. 2026
From there, Harrison was hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners for Royo, who flew out to right field deep enough to drive the runner in.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
The best running sneakers from their list include the Hoka Clifton 10s for new runners and joggers, Saucony Ride 18s for intermediate runners and Nike Vaporfly 4s for experienced runners.
—Claire Peltier, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
The next two runners who followed her off the course — Emma Hurley of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Ednah Kurgat of Roswell, Georgia — were 12th and 13th, respectively.
—CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
The Giants had runners on first and second with one out in the second inning.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Pitcher Steven Duran came in with two runners on and one out.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for runners
Noun
-
Eastern Libya has become a key launch point for smugglers, undercutting years of EU efforts to curb departures and making Crete a new pressure point.—
LEFTERIS PITARAKIS,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Eastern Libya has become a key launch point for smugglers, undercutting years of EU efforts to curb departures and making Crete a new pressure point.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Cytokines are the immune system’s chemical messengers that fire up immune cells and tell them to fight invaders, like bacteria and viruses.—
Sonya Collins,
SELF,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Advertisement With Revere their progenitor, mounted messengers would over the next hours course across Middlesex County and into Essex County and Norfolk County, into the counties of Bristol and Worcester.—
Kostya Kennedy,
Time,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Victims were then instructed to withdraw their savings, purchase gold bars, and hand them over to couriers.—
Daniel Wilkerson,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
In response to a request for comment, an Uber spokesperson pointed to past remarks from the CEO emphasizing that the company expects the number of drivers and couriers on its platform to continue growing for several years.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Runners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runners. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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