run over
Medium-HighInformal to Neutral
Definition
Meaning
To hit and pass over with a vehicle; or to exceed a time limit.
To read or rehearse quickly; to review; to flow over (as a container); to consider or discuss briefly; to injure or kill by vehicular impact.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The phrasal verb has a primary literal sense of vehicular impact and several common figurative extensions related to exceeding limits or quick reviews.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major difference in meaning. The literal sense (hit with vehicle) is equally common. The 'review quickly' sense is slightly more common in US English.
Connotations
In both varieties, 'run over' for hitting with a vehicle is strong and direct. The 'exceed time' sense is neutral.
Frequency
Both senses are frequent in spoken and written English in both regions.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[subject] run over [object] (e.g., The bus ran over a bicycle).[subject] run over (intransitive) (e.g., The meeting ran over).run [object] over (separated) (e.g., He ran the dog over).Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “run over with (e.g., The cup was running over with joy – from Biblical allusion).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"The presentation ran over by fifteen minutes, so we need to adjust the schedule."
Academic
"The lecturer quickly ran over the key findings from the previous study."
Everyday
"Be careful not to run over the kids' toys left in the driveway."
Technical
In project management: 'The task ran over its allocated budget.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- I'm afraid I ran over a hedgehog on the country lane.
- Could we run over the figures once more before the meeting?
- The BBC programme ran over its slot by ten minutes.
American English
- He almost ran over a squirrel on the parkway.
- Let's run over the talking points before the call.
- The webinar ran over by half an hour.
adjective
British English
- The run-over time was added to the recording.
- A run-over cat was reported on the high street.
American English
- We have a run-over session scheduled for tomorrow.
- There was a run-over dog on the side of the interstate.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The bus ran over a box in the road.
- My lecture ran over today.
- She quickly ran over the instructions before we started.
- I hope we don't run over our time limit.
- The tragic accident involved a lorry running over a pedestrian.
- The project is running over budget, so we need to cut costs.
- The chairman allowed the discussion to run over into the lunch hour to reach a consensus.
- He ran over the nuanced arguments of the paper in his summarising remarks.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a car RUNning OVER a toy in the street. It literally goes over it and beyond, linking to both 'hit' and 'exceed' meanings.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME/IDEAS ARE SPACE TRAVERSED (exceeding time limit, reviewing points); IMPACT IS FORWARD MOTION (hitting with a vehicle).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating as 'бежать над' – it is a phrasal verb with specific meanings.
- Do not confuse with 'run over to' (visit quickly).
- The separable form ('run someone over') is common.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'The car run over the man.' Correct: 'The car ran over the man.'
- Incorrect: 'Let's run over the plan' (if meaning 'visit'). Correct for review: 'Let's run over the plan.'
Practice
Quiz
In a business meeting, if someone says 'Let's run over the agenda,' what do they most likely mean?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can say 'The car ran over the cyclist' or 'The car ran the cyclist over.' The separable form is common, especially with pronouns: 'It ran him over.'
'Run over' typically means to hit with a vehicle, exceed, or review. 'Run over to' means to make a quick visit to a nearby place (e.g., 'I'll run over to the shop').
Yes, in the 'exceed time' sense (intransitive). E.g., 'The meeting ran over.' It does not need a direct object here.
Yes, it is commonly used, but it is a blunt and direct term. More formal or sensitive contexts might use 'was hit by a vehicle,' 'was struck,' or 'was involved in a fatal collision.'