run
A1 (Very High Frequency)All registers – core, everyday, academic, business, and technical.
Definition
Meaning
To move quickly on foot, with both feet briefly leaving the ground during each stride.
To operate, manage, or function; to flow; to extend; to compete; to be a candidate; to occur continuously; to pass or progress.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
A hyper-polysemous word with over 600 dictionary senses. Its meanings often relate to concepts of motion, continuity, operation, competition, or flow. Many senses are phrasal verbs or idioms.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
British English more commonly uses 'run up' a bill/debt. In politics, 'stand for election' (UK) vs. 'run for office' (US). For tights/stockings, 'a ladder' (UK) vs. 'a run' (US).
Connotations
Similar core connotations in both varieties. 'Run' in business contexts (run a company) is slightly more informal in UK English but fully standard in US English.
Frequency
Slightly higher collocational frequency in American English due to political ('run for president') and sports ('run the bases') usage.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
NP run (intransitive)NP run NP (transitive: manage)NP run [ADJ] (copula-like: 'run cold')NP run [PREP PHRASE] ('run into a wall')NP run and VP ('run and get it')Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “run of the mill”
- “in the long run”
- “run the gauntlet”
- “run rings around someone”
- “run like clockwork”
- “dry run”
- “run afoul of”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
To manage or operate (run a department, run a deficit).
Academic
To conduct an experiment or process; a continuous sequence (a run of data).
Everyday
To move quickly; to function (the car runs well); to go to a place quickly (run to the shop).
Technical
To execute a computer program; a single performance of a process; a period of operation.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She decided to run for local council.
- The tap has been running all night.
- Can you run the numbers for the quarterly report?
- He'll run the meeting in the manager's absence.
American English
- He's going to run for Mayor next year.
- The software runs on the latest operating system.
- Let's run a quick test before we proceed.
- The story ran in all the major newspapers.
adverb
British English
- N/A (Archaic/poetic use only, e.g., 'to break run')
American English
- N/A (Archaic/poetic use only)
adjective
British English
- There's a run batted in on the scorecard.
- We need run-flat tyres for safety.
- It was a run chase for the ages at the Oval.
American English
- He scored a run batted in.
- The concert was a sell-out run. (as in a series)
- Watch out for run-on sentences in your essay.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I run in the park every morning.
- The bus runs every hour.
- My nose is running.
- She runs a small café in the city centre.
- The project is running behind schedule.
- We're starting to run low on coffee.
- The colours might run if you wash it in hot water.
- He ran the idea past his manager before proceeding.
- A shiver ran down her spine.
- The contract runs for five years with an option to renew.
- Her family has political aspirations that run deep.
- The novel runs the gamut of human emotion from joy to despair.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a business executive who has to RUN a company, so they literally RUN between meetings to keep everything RUNning smoothly.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME/EVENTS ARE MOVING ENTITIES ('The meeting ran late'). LIFE IS A JOURNEY/OPERATION ('He's running out of time', 'She runs her own life'). ORGANIZATIONS/ MACHINES ARE PEOPLE ('The office runs efficiently').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Using 'run' for every translation of 'бегать'/'бежать' when 'go', 'work', 'operate', 'extend', 'flow' might be correct. Translating 'to run a business' as 'to have a business' instead of 'to manage/operate'. Confusing 'run for president' with 'run to the president'.
Common Mistakes
- He runs often to the gym. (correct: He often goes running to the gym / He often runs to the gym). I run this machine. (correct if you operate it, not just start it). The river runs across the city. (correct, but learners may avoid this abstract use).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence does 'run' mean 'to be valid or operative'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is among the most common and polysemous. By some counts, it has the most dictionary entries (senses) of any English verb, reflecting its vast metaphorical extensions.
'Run' is the general term. 'Sprint' means to run at full speed over a short distance, often in a race.
Yes, with many meanings: a period of running ('a morning run'), a continuous sequence ('a run of bad luck'), a point in cricket/baseball, a journey by a vehicle ('a bus run'), or a ladder in tights (US).
Its extreme polysemy means a single form covers dozens of distinct concepts (motion, management, flow, operation, competition). Learners must learn it not as one word, but as a family of related meanings tied together by metaphor.
Collections
Part of a collection
Daily Verbs
A1 · 50 words · Essential action words used in everyday conversation.