run

pronunciation

How to pronounce run in British English: UK [rʌn] word uk audio image

How to pronounce run in American English: US [rʌn] word us audio image

Noun:

a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
the act of testing something
a race run on foot
an unbroken series of events
(American football) a play in which a player runs with the ball
a regular trip
the act of running; traveling on foot at a fast pace
the continuous period of time during which something (a machine or a factory) operates or continues in operation
unrestricted freedom to use
the production achieved during a continuous period of operation (of a machine or factory etc.)
a small stream
a race between candidates for elective office
a row of unravelled stitches
the pouring forth of a fluid
an unbroken chronological sequence
a short trip
Verb:

move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
flee; take to one's heels; cut and run
stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point
direct or control; projects, businesses, etc.
have a particular form
move along, of liquids
perform as expected when applied
change or be different within limits
run, stand, or compete for an office or a position
cause to emit recorded sounds
move about freely and without restraint, or act as if running around in an uncontrolled way
have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
carry out a process or program, as on a computer or a machine
be operating, running or functioning
change from one state to another
cause to perform
be affected by; be subjected to
continue to exist
occur persistently
include as the content; broadcast or publicize
carry out
guide or pass over something
cause something to pass or lead somewhere
make without a miss
deal in illegally, such as arms or liquor
cause an animal to move fast
be diffused
sail before the wind
cover by running; run a certain distance
extend or continue for a certain period of time
set animals loose to graze
keep company
run with the ball; in such sports as football
travel rapidly, by any (unspecified) means
travel a route regularly
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
compete in a race
progress by being changed
reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating
come unraveled or undone as if by snagging
become undone

Word Origin

run: run: [14] Run is quite a widespread Germanic verb, represented also by German rennen and Swedish ränna. Its ultimate ancestry is not known, although links have been suggested with Sanskrit rnoti ‘he moves’ and Greek órnūmi ‘rouse’. The Old English verb was rinnan; run, which was originally a past form, did not begin to emerge as the infinitive until the early 14th century, and it was not common until the 16th century. Runnel ‘brook’ [OE] comes from the same Germanic source, and rennet may be related.=> rennet, runnel

run (v.): the modern verb is a merger of two related Old English words, in both of which the first letters sometimes switched places. The first is intransitive rinnan, irnan "to run, flow, run together" (past tense ran, past participle runnen), cognate with Middle Dutch runnen, Old Saxon, Old High German, Gothic rinnan, German rinnen "to flow, run." The second is Old English transitive weak verb ærnan, earnan "ride, run to, reach, gain by running" (probably a metathesis of *rennan), from Proto-Germanic *rannjanan, causative of the root *ren- "to run." This is cognate with Old Saxon renian, Old High German rennen, German rennen, Gothic rannjan. Both are from PIE *ri-ne-a-, nasalized form of root *reie- "to flow, run" (see Rhine). Of streams, etc., from c. 1200; of machinery, from 1560s. Meaning "be in charge of" is first attested 1861, originally American English. Meaning "seek office in an election" is from 1826, American English. Phrase run for it "take flight" is attested from 1640s. Many figurative uses are from horseracing or hunting (such as to run (something) into the ground, 1836, American English). To run across "meet" is attested from 1855, American English. To run short "exhaust one's supply" is from 1752; to run out of in the same sense is from 1713. To run around with "consort with" is from 1887. Run away "flee in the face of danger" is from late 14c. To run late is from 1954.

run (n.): "a spell of running," mid-15c. (earlier ren, late 14c.), from run (v.). The Old English noun ryne meant "a flowing, a course, a watercourse." Modern sense of "small stream" first recorded 1580s, mostly Northern English dialect and American English. Meaning "continuous stretch" (of something) is from 1670s. Meaning "series or rush of demands on a bank, etc." is first recorded 1690s. Meaning "the privilege of going through or over" is from 1755. Baseball sense is from 1856. Meaning "single trip by a railroad train" is from 1857. Military aircraft sense is from 1916. Meaning "total number of copies printed" is from 1909. Meaning "tear in a knitted garment" is from 1922. Phrase a run for one's money is from 1872 in a figurative sense, originally from horse racing, implying competition (1841).