Phrasal verbs with run in English

The English language has a large number of phrasal verbs with the word “run“. These phrasal verbs can have different meanings depending on the context. The verb to run [rʌn] is an irregular verb. Its main forms are presented in the table

Also, run can be used as a noun.

Basic phrasal verbs with run

Consider the common phrasal verbs with to run in English

• run across – to unexpectedly find or encounter something or someone
  • I ran across an old friend at the grocery store
  • She ran across an old friend while on holiday
• run after – to chase or pursue someone or something
  • The dog ran after the cat.
  • The thief ran away and the policeman ran after him
• run away – to escape or flee, often to avoid something or someone
  • The boy ran away from home
  • He ran away from home and got a job in a garage
  • She and her boss ran away together
• run at – to charge or rush towards something or someone
  • He ran at me with a knife
• run back over – to revisit or reconsider something that has already been discussed or considered
  • I’ll run back over the procedure once again
• run down – to deplete or exhaust; to criticize or speak negatively about someone or something
  • The professor ran down the list of topics for the exam
  • The old man was run down by a bus
  • He is always running down his neighbours
  • This torch is useless; the battery has run down
• run in – to arrive or return to a place, often in a hurried or unexpected way
  • I can’t go any faster: I’m running the car in
• run into – to meet or come across someone or something unexpectedly
  • I ran into my neighbor at the coffee shop
  • The car skidded and ran into a lamp-post
  • We ran into thick fog on the way home
  • Be careful not to run into debt
  • Her income runs into six figures
• run off – to leave quickly or hurriedly; to make a copy of something
  • Can you run off a copy of that document for me?
  • Could you run off twenty copies of the agenda?
  • The treasurer had run off with the club’s funds
• run on – to continue for longer than expected; to talk for a long time without stopping
  • The movie ran on for three hours
  • The meeting  will finish promptly — I don’t want it to run on
  • He ran on endlessly about his family
• run out – to use up completely; to expire or come to an end
  • The car ran over the curb and hit a tree
  • We ran out of milk this morning
  • The contract runs out next week
• run over – to hit with a vehicle; to review or briefly summarize something
  • He turned on both taps full and left the bathroom. When he came back he found that the water was running over
  • Two children were run over and killed
  • She ran over her notes before giving the lecture
• run through – to quickly review or rehearse something; to go over something in detail
  • It’s unbelievable: he has run through all his money already
  • Let’s run through the last scene once more
• run to – to have enough money for something; to go or come to someone’s aid
  • The book runs to nearly 800 pages
  • Our funds won’t run to a trip abroad this year
• run up – to accumulate or increase, often referring to debt or expenses
  • She ran up a huge credit card bill on her shopping spree
  • He ran up a huge debt on his credit card which he couldn’t pay off
  • She ran a blouse up through one night
• run up against – to encounter or come into contact with a problem or obstacle
  • The team ran up against tough opposition

14 Phrasal Verbs with RUN: run off, run out of, run over…