1
as in finding
to come upon after searching, study, or effort
finally ran down the answer after hours of research
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dismissing
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
constantly running down the city's cultural life won't do anything to improve it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of running down
During pregnancy, the two vertical muscles running down the front of your abdomen, the rectus abdominis muscles, must stretch to accommodate your growing baby.
—
Jennifer Byrne, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2026
The elbow-length collared shirt featured a plunging neckline and an opaque panel running down the very middle of her chest, leaving her bare sides and back covered in just the see-through material.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 4 Mar. 2026
Chitons belong to the class Polyplacophora, a group of marine mollusks — distant relatives of snails, clams, and octopuses — distinguished by a series of overlapping shell plates running down their backs.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
Chitons are distant relatives of snails, clams, and octopuses, distinguished by overlapping shell plates running down their backs.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
Cue the ruched effect running down the front of a midi dress that turned its simple design.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 2 Mar. 2026
With the clock running down, the 36-year-old Aubameyang equalized in the 81st minute with an opportunistic low finish from winger Igor Paixão's looping pass and then slid in Ethan Nwaneri's left-wing cross.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
All of the snow over the past week, which helped struggling ski resorts around Lake Tahoe increase their totals, will slowly melt in late spring and summer, running down rivers, with some being captured in reservoirs.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
The woman was able to free herself and started running down Old Stage Road.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Jennifer Byrne, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2026
The elbow-length collared shirt featured a plunging neckline and an opaque panel running down the very middle of her chest, leaving her bare sides and back covered in just the see-through material.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 4 Mar. 2026
Chitons belong to the class Polyplacophora, a group of marine mollusks — distant relatives of snails, clams, and octopuses — distinguished by a series of overlapping shell plates running down their backs.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
Chitons are distant relatives of snails, clams, and octopuses, distinguished by overlapping shell plates running down their backs.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
Cue the ruched effect running down the front of a midi dress that turned its simple design.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 2 Mar. 2026
With the clock running down, the 36-year-old Aubameyang equalized in the 81st minute with an opportunistic low finish from winger Igor Paixão's looping pass and then slid in Ethan Nwaneri's left-wing cross.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
All of the snow over the past week, which helped struggling ski resorts around Lake Tahoe increase their totals, will slowly melt in late spring and summer, running down rivers, with some being captured in reservoirs.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
The woman was able to free herself and started running down Old Stage Road.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for running down
Verb
-
Conservatives are digging through Talarico’s social media history and finding a trove of progressive commentary on hot-button cultural issues like race, gender, religion and immigration.—
Jonathan J. Cooper,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Under Johnson’s direction, Ginn is finding her own individual footing with the part.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Despite the extraordinary decision, Mejia remained in custody while the case returned to Travis County — where was convicted and sentenced to life in prison — for the final legal step of dismissing the charges.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
9 Mar. 2026
-
In February, Judge Arun Subramanian handed down a summary judgment dismissing that claim.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The donation was made to the Foundation for New Education Initiatives, a nonprofit organization Carvalho founded to improve learning opportunities for students from lower-income families.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
California has introduced universal pre-kindergarten, and New York City is expanding its pre-kindergarten program to 2-year-olds, giving toddlers an early start on learning.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights remain unlit, minimizing the chance of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Astronaut menus are carefully constructed to maximize nutrition and calories while minimizing storage requirements, preparation needs, and the possibility of contamination.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In nuclear physics, discovering the internal structure of the atom led to enormous advances, but also brought us the dangers of radioactivity and atomic weapons.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The scrutiny erupted in January, when an Austin woman and her child were deported after an Austin officer contacted ICE upon discovering an administrative warrant for the woman.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Misfits is a great example of a show for a teenage audience that respects its demographic rather than talking down to them.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Forever captures the rush and confusion of first love without talking down to its audience.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
14 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Puerto Rico is missing Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa due to insurance restrictions, considerably diminishing their firepower, but have solid pitching and the advantage of playing at home in their group stage.—
J.J. Bailey,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Palomar’s 48 partner agencies are similarly affected by diminishing VOCA funds.—
Maddy Keyes,
The Frontier,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For now, officials say the main challenge remains locating the uranium.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Police are seeking the public’s help in locating a missing, at-risk person.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Running down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/running%20down. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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