The word ‘run‘ can mean many different things. As a verb, the meaning is to move faster than walking, manage or to flow.
For example:
- The dog is running around the park. (move faster than walking)
- I run my own bakery. (manage)
- I’ll run you a bath. (flow)
Run is an irregular verb. The past tense is ran and the past participle is run.
phrasal verbs with run
Let’s learn the meaning of the phrasal verbs that contain the verb ‘run’ in more detail and see some examples in use.
run after
meaning – chase
example – My dog loves running after rabbits, he never catches them though.
run along
meaning – go away, leave (an imperative)
example – The puppies ran along when the cat hissed at them.
run around
meaning – run all over the place or be busy doing many jobs
example – The kids ran around the park for hours, they are fast asleep now.
run away
meaning – leave your place of residence
example – I used to run away from home and hide in the forest when I was a child.
run down
meaning – hit someone with a vehicle or use up the power
example – When my phone has completely run down, I’ll charge it.
run for
meaning – compete to be elected for a position
example – There are 8 people running for chief councillor. I don’t stand a chance.
run in with
meaning – an argument
example – I had a run in with the neighbour about my choice of music.
run into
meaning – meet by accident or the cost of something
example – I ran into Judy in town, she is pregnant with triplets.
run off
meaning – escape on foot or make copies
example – The kids knocked on Ms. Durant’s door and ran off.
run on
meaning – be powered by
example – I’m running on coffee today. I didn’t sleep much last night.
run out of
meaning – have none left
example – If you drink too much milk, we will run out before the weekend.
run over
meaning – hit with a vehicle or exceed a time limit
example – I ran over a baby bunny last night; I feel so guilty.
run through
meaning – rehearse or review something
example – We’ll run through scene 2 one more time then we’ll stop for today.
run to
meaning – go to someone for help or advice
example – I can’t keep running to my parents when I’m in debt. I need to learn how to manage my money.
run up
meaning – spend lots of money or move quickly towards something
example – The thief ran up behind his victim and stole her phone.
run with
meaning – take control of something and manage it
example – Tilly took the new project and ran with it. She is amazing.
Did you know that many idiomatic expressions (idioms) in English also contain a lot of verbs? Just like phrasal verbs, idioms are a major part of the English language (slang in particular). They are used constantly amongst native English speakers and are handy to know and understand.
Now you’ve learnt all the phrasal verbs with run, how about learning the idioms with run too?
