Pronunciations (6)
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/ˈɹʌnɚ/
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
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/ˈɹʌnə/
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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/ˈɹʊnə/
Pronunciation notes
- Northern-England
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/ˈɹʊnɐ/
Pronunciation notes
- Northumbria
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ˈɹʌnɚ
Pronunciation notes
- US
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ˈɹʌnə
Pronunciation notes
- GB
Noun
Agent noun of run; one who runs. A person who moves, on foot, at a fast pace, especially an athlete.
- Synonyms
- Examples
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The first runner to cross the finish line wins the race.
Near-synonym: racer
Agent noun of run; one who runs. Any entrant, person or animal (especially a horse), for a race or any competition; a candidate for an election.
- Examples
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The mare is the stables' runner for the 5.15 race at Epsom.
The judge said she would not be a runner in the upcoming elections.
Agent noun of run; one who runs. A competitor in a poker tournament.
Usage- Slang
Agent noun of run; one who runs. Somebody who controls or manages (e.g. a system).
- Examples
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More examples (1)
[…] at least half of which would be put into the pool for the winner, the rest kept for the runners of the system to cover costs and more than likely make a fair profit.
Agent noun of run; one who runs. A person or vessel that runs blockades or engages in smuggling.
Usage- In compounds
- Examples
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The gunrunners were arrested leaving the airport.
The modus operandi used by the idol and antique runners is to order consignments of fakes.
Agent noun of run; one who runs. A player who runs for a batsman who is too injured to run; he is dressed exactly as the injured batsman, and carries a bat.
Agent noun of run; one who runs. A baserunner.
- Examples
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The runner was out at second.
Agent noun of run; one who runs. A person (from one or the other team) who runs out onto the field during the game to take verbal instructions from the coach to the players. A runner mustn't interfere with play, and may have to wear an identifying shirt to make clear his or her purpose on the field.
Agent noun of run; one who runs. Anyone sent on an errand or with communications, especially for a bank (or, historically, a foot soldier responsible for carrying messages during war).
- Examples
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More examples (1)
By 1963, Carmine was working as a "runner" for an accounting firm, and he would drop by 1619 Broadway to knock on doors in hopes of selling off some of his songs
Agent noun of run; one who runs. A restaurant employee responsible for taking food from the kitchens to the tables.
- Examples
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More examples (1)
“Then you divide your army amongst the various houses where restorations are ordered for Jubilee day?” / “Certainly—say one waiter to ten guests—if it was a dinner we should send one waiter to six guests—with runners, of course.” / “Runners?” / “Omnibuses you call them here—young ones—apprentices—who wait on the waiters.” / “Run everywhere, do anything?”
[…] the chef can send a runner to see why not and if the waiter has forgotten about the order, a runner can cover and serve.
Agent noun of run; one who runs. A trusty (prisoner granted special privileges).
Usage- US usage
- Dated
- Examples
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In our prisons you might find a condemned man working as a runner, a trusty, which is about as far from segregation as you can get.
Agent noun of run; one who runs. An employee of a sports agent who tries to recruit possible player clients for the agent.
Usage- Slang
- Examples
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More examples (1)
This week hundreds of NFL agents gathered to hear an honorable man talk about a noble pipedream. It was a discussion about a significant step to end one of the cornerstones of corruption in college football: runners. Not the backs getting their 40 times tested at the scouting combine but the slimeball trolls who work on behalf of agents to help recruit — a generous word — football prospects by illegally giving them cash (or cars or money for family members or rent for a nice house) so the player then signs with the agent upon turning pro.
Agent noun of run; one who runs. A person hired by a gambling establishment to locate potential customers and bring them in.
Agent noun of run; one who runs. One who runs away; a deserter or escapee.
Agent noun of run; one who runs. An assistant.
A quick escape away from a scene; (by extension) the person who gets away.
Usage- Slang
- Examples
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He did a runner after robbing the drugstore.
More examples (1)
We were shocked, astonished, when the staff, when pushed, disclosed that they had had to cover runners the previous night. The runners used the scam of ‘smoking’ to go outside after eating and drinking champagne and top-notch wine … and kept walking. And who paid their bill? Staff! Disgusting.
A type of soft-soled shoe originally intended for runners.
Usage- Australia
- Canada
- Ireland
- Scotland
- Examples
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Tess stands by Mr Foley in runners that are bright yellow and exuberant and off-putting.
Part of a shoe that is stitched to the bottom of the upper so it can be glued to the sole.
A part of an apparatus that moves quickly.
- Examples
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After the cycle completes, the runner travels back quickly to be in place for the next cycle.
A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding). A smooth strip on which a sledge runs.
A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding). The blade of an ice skate.
A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding). The channel or strip on which a drawer is opened and closed.
A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding). Part of a mechanism which allows something to be pulled out for maintenance.
- Examples
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More examples (1)
Maintenance was simplified by making all components easily accessible and easy to remove: for example, the air compressors in the short nose slide out on runners.
A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding). The curved base of a rocking chair.
- Synonyms
A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding). In saddlery, a loop of metal through which a rein is passed.
A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding). In molding, a channel cut in a mold.
A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding). The rotating-stone of a grinding-mill.
A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding). The movable piece to which the ribs of an umbrella are attached.
A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding). A tool in which lenses are fastened for polishing.
An automobile; a working or driveable automobile.
Usage- Slang
- Examples
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The car salesman told me that the used Volvo was a nice little runner.
Is that old Mercedes on the forecourt a runner? / No, it has no gearbox.
A strip of fabric used to decorate or protect a table or dressing table.
- Examples
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The red runner makes the table so festive.
A long, narrow carpet for a high-traffic area such as a hall or stairs.
- Examples
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Why don't we put down a clear runner in the front hall?
A part of a cigarette that is burning unevenly.
Usage- Slang
A long stolon sent out by a plant (such as strawberry), in order to root new plantlets, or a plant that propagates by using such runners.
A short sling with a carabiner on either end, used to link the climbing rope to a bolt or other protection such as a nut or friend.
A leaping food fish (Elagatis pinnulatis) of Florida and the West Indies; the skipjack, shoemaker, or yellowtail.
A rope to increase the power of a tackle.
A speedrunner.
An idea or plan that has potential to be adopted or put into operation.
- Examples
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This idea isn't a runner. Let's not waste any more time on it.
A running gag.
- Examples
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More examples (2)
Don’t Look Up jabs around omnidirectionally, and some of the most gleefully ridiculous jokes land: There’s an inspired runner about an increasingly scandal-plagued Supreme Court nominee, for example, and another in which politicians and voters alike absurdly declare their allegiance to “the jobs the comet will bring.”
The fairy-tale promise of love and intimacy became a runner in Swift’s work as a songwriter, something she’d repeatedly espouse, then skewer; she was self-aware about the role narrative played in her expectations.
A streamlet.
- Examples
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A runner, or streamlet, from other woods joined it at this end, and waited in the pool to pass through the grating to the mills.
A boat for transporting fish, oysters, etc.
Noun
someone who imports or exports without paying duties
- Broader terms
someone who travels on foot by running
a person who is employed to deliver messages or documents
- Examples
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he sent a runner over with the contract
a baseball player on the team at bat who is on base (or attempting to reach a base)
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
a horizontal branch from the base of plant that produces new plants from buds at its tips
- Broader terms
a trained athlete who competes in foot races
(football) the player who is carrying (and trying to advance) the ball on an offensive play
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
a long narrow carpet
device consisting of the parts on which something can slide along
- Broader terms
fish of western Atlantic: Cape Cod to Brazil
- Synonyms
- Broader terms