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
For more than 50 years, the harrowing Vietnam War image, which shows a nine-year-old girl named Kim Phúc running down a road naked, her clothes burned off in a napalm attack, has been credited to an Associated Press photographer named Nick Út.
—
Maria Fontoura, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025
Hard not to call to mind the heavily creased face of a Native American man (who turned out to be Italian) in that public service ad against littering—hair in braids, a tear running down his stoic cheek.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
When the book got big on TikTok in 2020, that was one of the types of videos that people made over and over — snot coming out of their noses, mascara running down their faces, heaving sobs.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Armed police officers were seen running down the platform at the station, evacuating passengers while looking to neutralize any ongoing threat, the UK’s PA Media news agency reported.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Pullover hoodies tend to come in a greater variety of designs since manufacturers don’t have to worry about a zipper running down the length to mess up how the graphics look.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025
All colors—black, green, pink, pistachio, red, blue, and white—have the wide lines running down the sides in contrasting colors.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
The team identified a continuous midline feature that began as a fleshy crest along the neck and trunk and transitioned over the hips into a single row of spikes running down the tail — each spike positioned over a single vertebra and fitted to each other.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
The look consisted of a long-sleeve, silky dress shirt with a sharp collar and subtle buttons running down the front placket of the garment.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
Maria Fontoura, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025
Hard not to call to mind the heavily creased face of a Native American man (who turned out to be Italian) in that public service ad against littering—hair in braids, a tear running down his stoic cheek.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
When the book got big on TikTok in 2020, that was one of the types of videos that people made over and over — snot coming out of their noses, mascara running down their faces, heaving sobs.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Armed police officers were seen running down the platform at the station, evacuating passengers while looking to neutralize any ongoing threat, the UK’s PA Media news agency reported.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Pullover hoodies tend to come in a greater variety of designs since manufacturers don’t have to worry about a zipper running down the length to mess up how the graphics look.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025
All colors—black, green, pink, pistachio, red, blue, and white—have the wide lines running down the sides in contrasting colors.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
The team identified a continuous midline feature that began as a fleshy crest along the neck and trunk and transitioned over the hips into a single row of spikes running down the tail — each spike positioned over a single vertebra and fitted to each other.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
The look consisted of a long-sleeve, silky dress shirt with a sharp collar and subtle buttons running down the front placket of the garment.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for running down
Verb
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Barca are finding life more difficult this term, though.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
With child care now costing costing more than many college degrees and more than rent in some major cities, parents are finding finances stretched.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Dallas Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison on Tuesday, dismissing the man who traded away fan-favorite Luka Dončić in one of the most shocking NBA trades in recent memory.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
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On Wednesday, in documents obtained by Rolling Stone, a California superior court judge overseeing the lawsuit ruled in favor of Kardashian and the anti-SLAPP motion, effectively dismissing the other Cantu’s lawsuit, though the judge left open the possibility of an appeal.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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For example, when a manager gives feedback to a team member, Cisco's learning platform will combine that feedback with other data points, such as the employee's skills profile, to generate personalized learning recommendations.—
Kelly Jones,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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So did laws and court rulings that followed — barring Black men from the militia, barring Black adults from juries, barring Black children from learning alongside white children in public schools, and barring racial intermarriage.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Hence, minimizing adjacent snow buildup is vital for maintaining power output in alpine PV systems.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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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.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The military showed us a map of Hamas tunnel routes Israeli forces are still discovering and demolishing in the area.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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James Watson, a renowned molecular biologist and one of the Nobel Prize winners for discovering the structure of DNA, died Thursday after a brief illness, according to a statement from his former employer.—
Christina Zdanowicz,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Never met someone successful ever talking down to someone online.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
21 Oct. 2025
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Worldfor never talking down to me or being too afraid to address the hard things in life.—
Anna Earl,
Parents,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Before the night was out, Germans began chipping away at the barrier, carrying off chunks of one of the symbols of the diminishing Iron Curtain.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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Business leaders say that such policies risk accelerating an exodus of companies, diminishing the city’s commercial tax base, and ultimately affecting services and jobs essential to millions of New Yorkers.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Deep Isolation foresees co-locating its boreholes at active and decommissioned nuclear plants, according to CEO Rod Baltzer.—
Bob Woods,
CNBC,
9 Nov. 2025
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The project at the southeast corner of Tremont and West streets is one of many throughout the region that use state housing laws to build taller, denser, multi-family developments by locating near transit centers or including affordable housing for qualified low-income tenants.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Running down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/running%20down. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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