{v.} 1a. To come to an end; be used up. •/Jerry almost got
across the brook on the slippery stones but his luck ran out and he slipped and
fell./ •/We’d better do our Christmas shopping; time is running out./
Syn.: GIVE OUT(5). 1b. To use all of the supply; be troubled by not having
enough. •/The car ran out of gas three miles from town./ •/Millie never
runs out of ideas for clever party decorations./ Compare: RUN SHORT. 2.
{informal} To force to leave; expel. •/Federal agents ran the spies out
of the country./ Syn.: KICK OUT, RUN OFF.
[run out on]
{v. phr.} To leave someone in the lurch; abandon another.
•/When Ted ran out on Delores, she got so angry that she sued him for
divorce./
[run over]
{v.} 1. To be too full and flow over the edge; spill over.
•/Billy forgot he had left the water on, and the tub ran over./ 2. To try
or go over (something) quickly; practice briefly. •/During the lunch hour,
Mary ran over her history facts so she would remember them for the test./
•/The coach ran over the signals for the trick play with the team just before
game time./ 3. To drive on top of; ride over. •/At night cars often run
over small animals that are blinded by the headlights./ Syn.: RUN DOWN.
[run ragged]
{v. phr.} To tire out; make nervous by too much worry or
work. •/Trying to keep up with too many clubs, sports, and activities in
addition to his homework ran Tom ragged./ •/On a rainy day the children
sometimes ran Mother ragged./ Compare: WEAR OUT.
[run rings around]
See: RUN CIRCLES AROUND.
[run riot]
{v. phr.} 1. To act freely or wildly; not control yourself.
•/The monkey got out of his cage and ran riot in the pet shop./ •/John
let his imagination run riot, thinking he was hunting lions in Africa./ 2. To
be or grow in great numbers or large amounts. •/Daisies ran riot in the
meadow./ Compare: RUN WILD.
[run scared]
{v. phr.} To expect defeat, as in a political campaign.
•/The one-vote defeat caused him to run scared in every race thereafter./
[run short]
{v. phr.} 1. To not have enough. •/Bob asked Jack to lend
him five dollars because he was running short./ •/We are running short of
sugar./ Compare: RUN OUT. 2. To be not enough in quantity. •/We are out of
potatoes and the flour is running short./
[run that by me again!]
{v. phr.}, {informal command} Repeat what
you just said, as I couldn’t understand you. •/"Run that by me again," he
cried. "This telephone connection is very bad."/
[run the gauntlet]
also [gantlet]{v. phr.} 1. To be made to run
between two lines of people facing each other and be hit by them with clubs or
other weapons. •/Joe had to run the gauntlet as part of his initiation into
the club./ 2. To face a hard test; bear a painful experience. •/Ginny had
to run the gauntlet of her mother’s questions about how the ink spot got on the
dining room rug./