Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

ran

1 American  
[ran] / ræn /

verb

  1. simple past tense of run.

Ran 2 American  
[rahn] / rɑn /

noun

Scandinavian Mythology.

  1. a sea goddess who drags down ships and drowns sailors: the wife of Aegir.

RAN 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. Royal Australian Navy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
ran 2 British  
/ ræn /

verb

  1. the past tense of run

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The EU’s trade balance for January-October 2025 ran just about even with the year before, shrugging off, for now, both the pricier euro and U.S. tariffs.

From Barron's

We know, for example, that Lincoln ran against Stephen Douglas for the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

He left Janie in front of the TV and ran outside.

From Literature

On the other side of the County Road ran Liberty Creek.

From Literature

She practiced every day at school and often ran all the way home.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.