Run

How to spell run

3 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce run

What does run mean?

1. verbTo move quickly on foot at a pace faster than walking.
2. verbTo operate, manage, or be in charge of something such as a business or machine.
3. nounA period or act of running, or a continuous sequence of something.

Run in a sentence

• verb

  She likes to run along the river before work.

• verb

  They run a small bakery on the high street.

• noun

  She went for a quick run before breakfast.

• verb

  The children run across the park to reach the swings.

• verb

  The software can run on almost any modern laptop.

• noun

  The play enjoyed a long run in the West End.

Where does run come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Run is a thoroughly native word, descending from the Old English verb rinnan and its variant iernan, both meaning 'to flow, to move quickly, to race'. These had close cousins all across the Germanic family, including Old Norse rinna and Old High German rinnan, which is why the word feels so basic and unchanging in English. Over the centuries the spelling settled into its short, two-consonant shape, and the meaning broadened enormously from simple flowing or sprinting to cover everything from operating a machine to managing a business. The single 'n' is the trap people most often slip on, since the past tense 'ran' and the doubled forms 'running' and 'runner' all hover nearby. Few other everyday words pack so many distinct senses into just three letters.

How the word is built

• run (a single native root word, no prefix or suffix)