runner

[ ruhn-er ]

noun

1. a person, animal, or thing that runs, especially as a racer.
2. a messenger.
3. a messenger of a bank or brokerage house.
4. Baseball. base runner.
5. Football. the ball-carrier.
6. a person whose business it is to solicit patronage or trade.
7. a person acting as collector, agent, or the like, for a bank, broker, etc.
8. something in or on which something else runs or moves.
9. either of the long, bladelike strips of metal or wood on which a sled or sleigh slides.
10. the blade of an ice skate.
11. the rotating system of blades driven by the fluid passing through a reaction turbine.
12. the rotating member of a pair of millstones. Compare bed stone.
13. a roller on which something moves along.
14. Furniture.
    1. a sliding piece, as a loper.
    2. rocker ( def 1 ).
15. an operator or manager, as of a machine.
16. a long, narrow rug, suitable for a hall or passageway.
17. a long, narrow strip of line, embroidery, lace, or the like, placed across a table.
18. Botany.
    1. a slender stolon that runs along the surface of the ground and sends out roots and leaves at the nodes, as in the strawberry.
    2. a plant that spreads by such stems.
19. Metallurgy. any of the channels through which molten metal flows.
20. a smuggler.
21. a vessel engaged in smuggling.
22. a person who takes, transmits, and often pays off bets for a bookmaker or a numbers pool.
23. Ichthyology. a jurel, Caranx crysos, inhabiting waters from Cape Cod to Brazil.
24. Building Trades. a horizontal longitudinal timber resting upon the uprights of a staging and supporting the footing pieces.
25. Theater. a piece of carpet or matting placed in the wings for deadening offstage sounds.
26. a tackle or part of a tackle consisting of a line rove through a single block and fixed at one end.

runner

/ ˈrʌnə /

noun

1. a person who runs, esp an athlete
2. a messenger for a bank or brokerage firm
3. an employee of an art or antique dealer who visits auctions to bid on desired lots
4. a person engaged in the solicitation of business
5. a person on the run; fugitive
6. 1. a person or vessel engaged in smuggling; smuggler
   2. ( in combination )

      a rum-runner

7. a person who operates, manages, or controls something
8. 1. either of the strips of metal or wood on which a sledge runs
   2. the blade of an ice skate
9. a roller or guide for a sliding component
10. a channel through which molten material enters a casting or moulding
11. the rotating element of a water turbine
12. See running belay
    another name for running belay
13. any of various carangid fishes of temperate and tropical seas, such as Caranx crysos ( blue runner ) of American Atlantic waters
14. botany
    1. a slender stem with very long internodes, as of the strawberry, that arches down to the ground and propagates by producing roots and shoots at the nodes or tip
    2. a plant that propagates in this way
15. a strip of lace, linen, etc, placed across a table, dressing table, etc for protection and decoration
16. a narrow rug or carpet, as for a passage
17. See rocker
    another word for rocker
18. do a runner slang.
    do a runner to run away in order to escape trouble or to avoid paying for something

runner

/ rŭn′ər /

1. A slender stem that grows horizontally and puts down roots to form new plants. Strawberries spread by runners.
2. Also called stolon
3. Compare bulb

Word History and Origins

Origin of runner¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; run, -er ¹

Example Sentences

“I put on a dress and walked down, and ended up getting first runner-up,” she recalls.

From The Daily Beast

Runner-Up: Pauline Etienne, Eden I could not take my eyes off this immensely talented Belgian actress.

From The Daily Beast

In April, Wehby was the front-runner; now, she is trailing badly and Oregon is safely in the D column.

From The Daily Beast

He was smart and tough in the way of the hard worker, the long-distance runner, the gambler who wins on stamina.

From The Daily Beast

One runner in Houston now has a permanent, hoof-shaped scar in the center of his forehead.

From The Daily Beast

To talk German was beyond the sweep of my dizziest ambition, but an Italian runner or porter instantly presented himself.

From Project Gutenberg

And since he was a very fast runner—for short distances—he met Grandfather Mole just as the old chap was crawling up the bank.

From Project Gutenberg

He would be staggering, half blind with exhaustion—like a runner at the end of a long race, with a rival close at his heels.

From Project Gutenberg

Finally a swift runner reached the watch-tower, whence the old king looked forth, awaiting news of the day.

From Project Gutenberg

Peter could feel it pound as if he had been a mile runner and the finish lay a hundred yards ahead of him.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• contestant
• entrant
• hurdler
• marathoner
• racer
• sprinter