Synonyms of running circles around

running circles around

phrase

variants or running rings around

present participle of run circles around

1

as in exceeding

to be greater, better, or stronger than

When it came to cooking, he ran circles around the rest of his family.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exceeding
• surpassing
• topping
• towering (over)
• eclipsing
• going one better
• beating
• transcending
• excelling
• outstripping
• overtopping
• bettering
• winning (against)
• prevailing (over)
• outshining
• outdistancing
• outdoing
• outclassing
• overcoming
• mastering
• triumphing (over)
• outmatching
• outgunning
• overshadowing
• defeating
• outpacing
• outrunning
• routing
• licking
• outweighing
• surmounting
• outracing
• conquering
• outperforming
• trimming
• shaming
• subduing
• whipping
• crushing
• overmatching
• overpassing
• worsting
• trouncing
• thrashing
• drubbing
• clobbering
• outcompeting
• besting
• walloping
• trumping
• overbearing
• outbalancing
• one-upping
• skunking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• losing (to)

2

as in blowing away

to defeat by a large margin

The young girl ran circles around her chess opponent.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• blowing away
• overcoming
• bombing
• whipping
• routing
• burying
• wiping the floor with
• eating alive
• beating the pants off
• throwing
• snowing under
• trimming
• upsetting
• mastering
• dusting
• pasting
• smoking
• whopping
• flattening
• winning (against)
• prevailing (over)
• beating
• topping
• overwhelming
• thrashing
• annihilating
• skinning
• smothering
• taking
• trouncing
• drubbing
• triumphing (over)
• waxing
• creaming
• walloping
• exceeding
• scoring
• knocking over
• sweeping
• clobbering
• succeeding
• surpassing
• edging (out)
• knocking off
• destroying
• shellacking
• conquering
• whupping
• dispatching
• whomping
• tromping
• licking
• capping
• skunking
• crushing
• doing in
• surmounting
• acing (out)
• finishing
• nosing out
• slaughtering
• subduing
• overbearing
• transcending
• overpowering
• overthrowing
• worsting
• subjugating
• hurdling
• vanquishing
• eclipsing
• besting
• outstripping
• bettering
• overtopping
• upending
• overmatching
• flourishing
• excelling
• outdistancing
• outdoing
• outshining
• sinking
• breaking
• pipping
• outfighting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of running circles around

Kirk Cousins shouldn’t be running circles around Willis with a Las Vegas Raiders team that has comparable talent to Miami. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026

Yet Grohl took it upon himself to be the official ambassador of rock ‘n’ roll, running circles around the stage during the nearly-three hour set, screaming, riffing and soloing away on 30-plus years of Foo Fighters hits. — William Earl, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026