Synonyms of running

running 1 of 4

adjective

1

as in operating

being in effective operation

the car has been running for almost an entire day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• operating
• operational
• operative
• functioning
• going
• working
• on
• active
• in force
• live
• alive
• functional
• operable
• in commission
• living
• on line
• producing
• viable
• in gear
• effective
• performing
• serving
• humming
• effectual
• usable
• useful
• flourishing
• busy
• yielding
• employable
• productive
• workable
• thriving
• dynamic
• bustling
• roaring
• astir

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• broken
• dead
• inactive
• inoperative
• nonfunctioning
• nonoperative
• useless
• nonfunctional
• ineffective
• nonoperational
• nonactivated
• idle
• ineffectual
• nonoperating
• kaput
• arrested
• deactivated
• decommissioned
• unusable
• dormant
• fallow
• inoperable
• unworkable
• asleep
• inert
• quiescent
• unproductive
• latent
• sleepy
• lifeless
• nonproductive
• stagnating
• vegetating

2

as in continuous

going on and on without any interruptions

a running struggle just to make ends meet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• continuous
• continued
• continuing
• continual
• nonstop
• incessant
• uninterrupted
• constant
• unremitting
• perpetual
• unbroken
• unceasing
• persistent
• ceaseless
• steady
• permanent
• endless
• unending
• interminable
• lasting
• enduring
• eternal
• immortal
• everlasting
• stable
• undying
• deathless
• durable
• unchanging
• unvarying
• changeless
• indestructible
• imperishable
• dateless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• periodic
• discontinuous
• intermittent
• recurrent
• alternate
• serial
• seasonal
• periodical
• cyclic
• occasional
• rhythmic
• recurring
• noncontinuous
• sporadic
• alternating
• erratic
• irregular
• spasmodic
• spotty
• unsteady
• fitful

running

2 of 4

noun

ˈrə-niŋ 

as in management

the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something

left the running of the corporation to his subordinates

Synonyms & Similar Words

• management
• operation
• handling
• control
• administration
• supervision
• direction
• government
• stewardship
• oversight
• governance
• presidency
• conduct
• regulation
• leadership
• charge
• guidance
• care
• superintendence
• intendance
• superintendency
• custody
• keeping
• protection
• agency
• logistics
• lap
• engineering
• manipulation
• ward
• trust
• guardianship
• safekeeping
• rulership
• tutelage
• generalship
• aegis
• codirection
• machination
• coadministration
• comanagement

running

3 of 4

adverb

as in successively

in succession without others coming in between

he won the championship five times running

Synonyms & Similar Words

• successively
• together
• repeatedly
• consecutively
• continuously
• constantly
• hand running
• sequentially
• back-to-back
• continually
• serially
• on end
• successionally
• seriatim
• uninterruptedly
• night and day
• subsequently
• unceasingly
• continuingly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• intermittently
• discontinuously
• interruptedly

running

4 of 4

verb

present participle of run

1

as in jogging

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

• jogging
• trotting
• sprinting
• racing
• galloping
• speeding
• skipping
• rushing
• hurrying
• leaping
• tripping
• scampering
• dashing
• scurrying
• zipping
• scooting
• bounding
• hustling
• springing
• loping
• tearing
• blazing
• blasting
• scuttling
• hurling
• ripping
• buzzing
• bowling
• barreling
• blowing
• coursing
• hurtling
• cantering
• humping
• shagging
• bustling
• zooming
• careening
• rocketing
• ramming
• jetting
• whirling
• hastening
• bolting
• whisking
• pelting
• haring
• belting
• rustling
• shooting
• stepping (along)
• breezing
• bombing
• cannonballing
• hying
• pattering
• nipping
• footing (it)
• legging (it)
• hotfooting (it)
• hoofing (it)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strolling
• shuffling
• dragging
• sauntering
• lingering
• crawling
• ambling
• creeping
• lagging
• poking
• shambling
• dawdling
• loitering
• trudging
• plodding
• tarrying
• dallying
• lumbering
• limping
• hobbling
• dillydallying

2

as in flying

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

• flying
• fleeing
• retreating
• bolting
• escaping
• breaking
• running away
• running off
• skedaddling
• beating a retreat
• beating it
• bugging out
• turning tail
• making tracks
• hightailing (it)
• scramming
• getting (away)
• getting out
• absconding
• making off
• decamping
• skipping (out)
• eloping
• clearing out
• lighting out
• lamming
• scarpering
• skirring
• mizzling
• scatting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• facing
• confronting
• daring
• remaining
• braving
• defying
• staying
• lingering
• hanging around
• dwelling
• bearding
• abiding
• sticking around
• tarrying

3

as in leading

to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction

the road runs along the river for a while

Synonyms & Similar Words

• leading
• going
• extending
• lying
• heading
• crossing
• passing
• bearing
• cutting
• following
• spanning
• traversing
• coursing

4

as in ranging

to occur within a continuous range of variation

the electric bill runs between 30 and 50 dollars a month

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ranging
• varying
• going
• moving
• alternating
• shifting
• changing
• reaching
• fluctuating
• extending
• stretching
• sweeping
• mutating

5

as in flowing

to move in a stream

water running down the window

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flowing
• pouring
• streaming
• dripping
• rolling
• rushing
• racing
• issuing
• flooding
• emanating
• springing
• rippling
• arising
• coursing
• flushing
• trickling
• spurting
• gushing
• spouting
• inundating
• effusing
• swamping
• overrunning
• engulfing
• overflowing
• dribbling
• disemboguing
• deluging
• cascading
• riffling
• fountaining
• guttering
• sheeting
• washing out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• backing up
• setting
• hardening
• clotting
• coagulating
• gelling
• congealing

6

as in racing

to proceed or move quickly

run and get the nurse

Synonyms & Similar Words

• racing
• traveling
• speeding
• trotting
• rushing
• hurrying
• scurrying
• driving
• flying
• jumping
• chasing
• zipping
• buzzing
• scooting
• stepping
• darting
• blowing
• scuttling
• jogging
• tearing
• blasting
• ripping
• dashing
• blazing
• bowling
• zooming
• hustling
• ramming
• barreling
• whirling
• hurling
• bolting
• haring
• shooting
• careering
• humping
• hurtling
• bundling
• coursing
• breezing
• motoring
• galloping
• bustling
• careening
• rocketing
• rustling
• jetting
• whisking
• hastening
• cracking (on)
• pelting
• nipping
• belting
• beating it
• cannonballing
• sprinting
• highballing
• hying
• bombing
• flitting
• scampering
• getting a move on
• stepping on it
• making tracks
• shaking a leg
• streaking
• scudding
• accelerating
• whizzing
• hotfooting (it)
• scuffling
• stampeding
• outrunning
• overtaking
• beetling
• outpacing
• stepping out
• quickening
• outstripping
• catching up
• beelining
• arrowing
• fast-forwarding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• crawling
• creeping
• poking
• dragging
• lingering
• hanging (around or out)
• lagging
• poking
• strolling
• shuffling
• dawdling
• loitering
• sauntering
• ambling
• plodding
• dallying
• lumbering
• decelerating
• slowing (down or up)
• tarrying
• dillydallying

7

as in tending

to show a liking or proneness (for something)

unfortunately, members of his family run to fatness

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tending
• leaning
• inclining
• trending
• going
• pointing
• indicating
• suggesting
• gravitating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoiding
• shunning
• shying (from or away from)

8

as in driving

to urge, push, or force onward

they ran the horses hard in order to get to the ranch quickly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• driving
• punching
• herding
• shepherding
• whipping
• wrangling
• spurring
• exhorting
• hounding
• prompting
• pressing
• prodding
• goading
• flogging
• pricking
• egging
• scourging

9

as in using

to control the mechanical operation of

I know how to run that machine

Synonyms & Similar Words

• operating
• using
• handling
• working
• manipulating
• driving
• controlling
• wielding
• guiding
• plying
• maneuvering
• steering
• directing
• piloting
• commanding

10

as in becoming

to eventually have as a state or quality

the poor woman ran herself ragged trying to care for all those children

Synonyms & Similar Words

• becoming
• getting
• growing
• going
• coming
• turning
• changing
• waxing
• transforming
• modifying
• altering
• mutating
• metamorphosing
• transmuting
• transfiguring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• being
• remaining
• continuing
• staying
• lingering
• abiding

11

as in melting

to go from a solid to a liquid state

her makeup started to run when she got in the pool

Synonyms & Similar Words

• melting
• thawing
• liquefying
• fusing
• softening
• trying
• fluxing
• smelting
• dissolving
• deliquescing
• founding
• rendering
• thinning
• guttering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• setting
• solidifying
• hardening
• thickening
• coagulating
• clotting
• gelling
• congealing
• jellying
• jelling

12

as in managing

to look after and make decisions about

learning to run the family business

Synonyms & Similar Words

• operating
• managing
• supervising
• overseeing
• controlling
• regulating
• conducting
• handling
• governing
• administering
• keeping
• guiding
• protecting
• directing
• tending
• presiding (over)
• administrating
• carrying on
• watching over
• superintending
• stewarding
• leading
• watching
• steering
• overlooking
• safeguarding
• guarding
• piloting
• caring (for)
• minding
• micromanaging
• codirecting
• stage-managing
• comanaging

13

as in activating

to cause to function

in olden days mills were run by flowing water

Synonyms & Similar Words

• activating
• triggering
• sparking
• driving
• powering
• generating
• moving
• fueling
• starting
• pushing
• setting off
• igniting
• touching off
• turning on
• actuating
• provoking
• cranking (up)
• launching
• charging
• firing
• electrifying
• switching
• energizing
• stimulating
• tripping
• turning over
• releasing
• reactivating
• accelerating
• recharging
• kicking over
• discharging
• stirring up
• exciting
• inciting
• instigating
• jump-starting
• kick-starting
• stepping up
• arousing
• catalyzing
• vitalizing
• quickening
• speeding (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cutting
• killing
• checking
• stopping
• sticking
• cutting out
• shutting off
• turning off
• cutting off
• halting
• stalling
• braking
• arresting
• jamming
• drawing up
• slowing
• deactivating
• suppressing
• repressing
• decelerating
• stunting

14

as in costing

to have a price of

that sort of computer runs at least several hundred dollars

Synonyms & Similar Words

• costing
• fetching
• bringing
• going (for)
• selling (for)
• coming (to)
• amounting (to)
• listing (for)
• totaling
• asking
• demanding
• commanding
• exacting

15

as in traveling

to come or be together as friends

he's been running with a bad crowd lately

Synonyms & Similar Words

• traveling
• connecting
• collaborating
• mixing
• associating
• mingling
• bonding
• joining
• relating
• befriending
• rubbing shoulders (with)
• chumming
• cooperating
• rubbing elbows (with)
• consorting
• sorting
• hanging (around or out)
• hobnobbing
• taking up with
• fraternizing
• keeping company (with)
• hooking up
• being friends with
• consociating
• tying
• palling (around)
• messing around
• teaming
• linking
• falling in with
• rallying
• companying
• affiliating
• socializing
• coupling
• allying
• grouping
• clubbing
• attaching
• colluding
• getting along
• knotting
• interrelating
• ganging
• siding
• getting on
• confederating
• friending
• leaguing
• wedding
• banding
• conjoining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoiding
• shunning
• snubbing
• alienating
• dispersing
• splitting
• splitting (up)
• estranging
• breaking up
• disbanding
• cold-shouldering
• dissociating
• divorcing
• severing
• sundering
• disjoining
• disuniting

16

as in chasing

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

• chasing
• tracking
• pursuing
• escorting
• trailing
• tracing
• following
• tailing
• accompanying
• running after
• dogging
• hounding
• coursing
• tagging
• shadowing
• bird-dogging
• watching
• hunting
• seeking
• chaperoning
• eyeing
• searching (for)
• observing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• leading
• guiding
• heading
• piloting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of running

Adjective

Children's Protective Services is investigating after police said three children were found in a non-running car in Redford Township, Michigan, on Thursday, when the area was under a heat advisory. — Nick Lentz, CBS News, 13 June 2026

The objective will be to improve a running game that ranked 25th in the NFL last season and 28th in yards after contract. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026

Noun

As Walker settles in as Kansas City’s lead back in 2026, new running backs coach DeMarco Murray will be tasked with getting Johnson in position to challenge for the starting role by 2028. — Kansas City Star, 11 July 2026

There’s currently a hidden Brooks running shoes sale across a few retailers, including Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and more, with deals up to 45 percent off these comfortable travel shoes. — Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2026

Verb

For everyday wear, a linen short and linen shirt combo is the perfect set for lounging at home or running errands. — ABC News, 13 July 2026

The contract for running Camp East Montana was worth more than a billion dollars. — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

Phrases Containing running

• hand running
• running mate