runs 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of run
1
2
3
as in leads
to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction the road runs along the river for a while

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4
as in varies
to occur within a continuous range of variation the electric bill runs between 30 and 50 dollars a month

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5
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7
as in tends
to show a liking or proneness (for something) unfortunately, members of his family run to fatness

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

8
as in drives
to urge, push, or force onward they ran the horses hard in order to get to the ranch quickly

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9
as in operates
to control the mechanical operation of I know how to run that machine

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10
as in becomes
to eventually have as a state or quality the poor woman ran herself ragged trying to care for all those children

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as in costs
to have a price of that sort of computer runs at least several hundred dollars

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runs

2 of 2

noun

plural of run
as in diarrhea
abnormally frequent intestinal evacuations with more or less fluid stools with weekend guests in the house, it was no time to get the runs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of runs
Verb
If your supplement stack already runs the length of your bathroom counter, adding another capsule for hair growth deserves scrutiny. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026 Stretching across the base of the windshield, the panoramic iDrive display projects information onto a black band that runs from one A-pillar to the other. — New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026 For example, a successful Ukrainian author whose print runs for five of her books were destroyed in a Russian attack. — Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026 Madison Square Garden runs a number of sports and entertainment venues, including its namesake and Radio City Music Hall. — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026 Caligaris describes one user who runs a real estate investment firm buying and selling commercial properties. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026 The festival’s industry platform, Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), kicks off on Saturday, October 10 and runs until Tuesday, October 13. — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026 After living in the City of Lights for more than a decade, the designer said he was drawn to its features, which informed his palette that runs from sky blues to Seine greens, via tones inspired by its typical stone buildings. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2026 Every action is decisive and cannot be reversed, just as the film runs ever forward through the projector. — Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Noun
Because diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel are co produced during the refining process, capping diesel exports could trigger storage bottlenecks and force refiners to curtail overall processing runs. — CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026 Since the island doesn't allow true rental cars (beyond the teensy, all-electric Twizys), hotel guests can hop on the hotel’s free jitney, which makes several runs there a day. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 The Yanks scored their only runs of Game 2 via two Ben Rice solo homers, while the Rays took advantage of shoddy Yankees defense and timely hitting to win, 5-2. — Ryan Morik Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Early runs of storm models suggest the system is likely to beeline north while strengthening in the very hot waters of the Gulf. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026 And, as the tedious and repetitive screaming of in-game hosts begged the fans to make noise yet again, as the game headed to the ninth inning, plenty of fans instead headed to the exits, even with the home team down by only two runs. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 And even the best counters are vulnerable to runs of misfortune. — Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026 Defensively, the Sun Devils were worse, allowing eight plays of 20-plus yards, including touchdown runs of 63 and 75 yards. — Doug Haller, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Prices range from about 240 euros for jersey basics to 450 to 850 euros for most ready-to-wear; leather and cashmere outerwear runs from 1,500 to 2,500 euros. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for runs
Verb
  • When a review begins, the referee jogs straight to a pitchside monitor.
    — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • First inning, Shohei Ohtani walks, steals second, jogs to third on a single by Freddie Freeman, scores on a grounder by Mookie Betts.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The agent then flees into the titular pawn shop as a mob of protesters pursue him.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Cora, the granddaughter of a woman kidnapped from West Africa and sold into slavery, flees her captor’s plantation, plunging her into the book’s alternate steampunk reality where she is pursued by the merciless slave catcher Ridgeway.
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Marouli also leads the wine tastings in the dining room Epicora.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • His top targets have been mammoth tight end Tyler Warren, who leads the team in catches and receiving TDs, and field-stretching wideout Josh Downs.
    — Elise Devlin, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Samsung began its broader One UI 9 rollout in September 2026, although availability varies by phone model, carrier and region.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The number of cards in a deck varies, but most versions have 54 cards.
    — Sanat Pai Raikar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Luserna stone, used for flooring, terraces, and the pool deck, flows seamlessly into the interior as well, laid in large bush-hammered and brushed slabs.
    — Elena Dallorso, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026
  • That is despite the bank expecting Brent crude to stabilize at approximately $80 per barrel as recent crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz gradually normalize.
    — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The Supra is one of the vehicles most closely associated with Walker’s Fast & Furious character, Brian O’Conner, who builds and races a bright orange version of the A80 in the first installment of the popular movie franchise.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Europe races to scale The political tensions come as Europe’s commercial space industry is gathering momentum.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • My complexion tends to be dry in some areas and oily in others, so striking the balance between glow and grease can be tricky.
    — Lucy Partington, Glamour, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The nonprofit is centered around caring for children and adults with genetic disorders that are especially common among the Amish and broader Plain community, a group that also tends to have lower vaccination rates than average.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • This absence drives Shimoda to unearth historical records like FBI files; to visit Manzanar, the concentration camp his grandfather was sent to in Missouri; and to travel to his grandfather’s ancestral homeland in Japan.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Money drives them apart, but that’s what they’re expected to care about.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Runs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runs. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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