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running

adj, adv, noun and 1 more — 18 senses

running

adj

UK, US /ˈɹʌniŋ/ · Midlands, Northern-England /ˈɹʊnɪŋ/

Etymology By surface analysis, run + -ing.

10 senses
  1. 1Moving or advancing at a run.
  2. 2Of a horse, having a running gait; not a trotter or pacer.
  3. 3Present, current.
  4. 4Flowing; easy; cursive.
  5. 5Continuous; ongoing; keeping along step by step.
  6. 6Having a continuous design or pattern.
  7. 7Consecutive (much more commonly expressed by an adverb…
  8. 8Extending by a slender climbing or trailing stem.
  9. 9Discharging pus.
  10. 10Discharging snot or mucus.
1

Moving or advancing at a run.

2

Of a horse, having a running gait; not a trotter or pacer.

3

Present, current.

  • running month
4

Flowing; easy; cursive.

  • running handwriting
5

Continuous; ongoing; keeping along step by step.

  • a running commentary, a running explanation, my running theory
  • Thus a constant running fire was kept up, and no interval allowed for the enemy to stand to their guns in safety […]1778, John Hamilton Moore, A New and Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels:
2 more examples
  • a running conquest1670, John Milton, “(please specify the page)”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC:
  • What are art and science if not a running commentary on Nature?1826, Julius Hare, Guesses at Truth by Two Brothers:
6

Having a continuous design or pattern.

  • running bond; running ornament
7

Consecutive (much more commonly expressed by an adverb; see below).

  • He won the title for three running years.
8

Biology, Botany, Natural sciences Extending by a slender climbing or trailing stem.

  • a running vine
9

Medicine, Sciences Discharging pus.

  • a running sore
10

Medicine, Sciences Of a nose Discharging snot or mucus.

  • a running nose
Derived terms
byrunning, clock is running, free-running, inrunning, long-running, nonrunning, non-running, Running Creek, running footman, running hyena, runningly, running room, running sand, running start, Running Stream, smoothrunning, smooth-running, take a running jump

running

adv

Etymology By surface analysis, run + -ing.

1

Informal Consecutively; in a row.

  • Mom's strawberry jam won the blue ribbon at the Holland County Fair three years running.

running

noun

Etymology By surface analysis, run + -ing.

1

The action of the verb to run.

  • His running of the business leaves something to be desired.
  • The train operating company owning group warned in early December that it was unable to publish its results for the year to July 3 2021, following an investigation into the running of Southeastern, which was stripped of its franchise in October [...].2022 January 12, “Network News: Trading of Go-Ahead Group shares halted”, in RAIL, number 948, page 7:
2

The activity of running as a form of exercise, as a sport, or for any other reason.

  • Running is good exercise.
3

That which runs or flows; the quantity of a liquid which flows in a certain time or during a certain operation.

  • the first running of a still
4

The discharge from an ulcer or other sore.

5

Colloquial The act of running errands.

  • I'm gonna go out and do my running.
6

Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics The dependence of measured value, typically a coupling constant, on the energy scale at which it is probed due to higher-order interaction terms and associated renormalization issues becoming relevant; metaphorically, the "running" of the measurement from its limiting macroscopic value.

Derived terms
baserunning, bookrunning, byrunning, fellrunning, free running, freerunning, gunrunning, inrunning, make all the running, make the running, river running, road running, rumrunning, running coupling, running game, running lights, running-mate, running stroller, runningwear, skyrunning, tunnel running, ultrarunning

running

prep

Etymology By surface analysis, run + -ing.

1

Colloquial Approaching; about; roughly.

Derived terms
77 termsbull-running, bungee running, come running, drug running, fell running, free running, front-running, front running, hand running, hit the ground running, hitting and running, in running order, in the running, make good one's running, off and running, out of the running, rat running, retro running, running and racing, running back, running battle, running block, running board, running commentary, running costs, running day, running dictation, running dog, running fight, running fire, running flush, running gag, running gear, running hand, running head, running heading, running headline, running in, running iron, running joke, running knot, running lane, running light, running line, running load, running madness, running man, running mate, running meter, running of the bulls, running order, running powers, running rail, running rein, running rigging, running script, running serviceberry, running shed, running shoe, running shoes, running sore, running speech, running stationer, running stitch, running target, running text, running the gauntlet, running therapy, running thrush, running time, running title, running track, running trap, running W, running water, take up the running, up and running

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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