Phrasal verbs with run

When you think about running, you picture quick movement and energy. This same sense of speed and momentum appears in phrasal verbs with run, but the meaning changes dramatically depending on which particle follows.

Many of these combinations keep the idea of sudden or hurried movement. When you run away or run off, you're leaving quickly, often to escape something. Similarly, run out suggests rushing from a place, while run around captures that feeling of being busy and moving from task to task without stopping.

The particle often shows direction or result. Run into can mean bumping into someone unexpectedly, but it also works for encountering problems – you're moving forward and suddenly hit an obstacle. Run over and run down both involve vehicles hitting people or things, showing how the movement continues beyond its target.

Some meanings focus on using things up or going through them quickly. You run out of petrol when your supply is finished, and you run through a presentation when you practise it from start to finish. The speed element remains – these things happen faster than you might like.

A few combinations move away from physical movement entirely. Run someone down can mean criticising them, while run something by someone means sharing an idea. Even here, though, there's often a sense of things happening quickly or efficiently.