end run

American  

[end ruhn] / ˈɛnd ˈrʌn /

noun

1. Also called end sweep,.  Also called sweep.  Football. a running play in which the ball-carrier attempts to outflank the defensive end.

2. Informal.

   1. an evasive or diversionary maneuver.

   2. an attempt to surmount a difficulty without confronting it directly.

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end run Idioms  

1. Evasive action, as in The new department head was making an end run around the old hands who opposed her appointment. This term comes from American football, where it denotes an offensive play in which the ball carrier runs around one end of the opposing team's line. [Mid-1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of end run

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

end run

Concentration camp systems are always an end run around the existing legal system in a country at a given time.

From Slate ● Feb. 17, 2026

Who made an audacious end run around protocol to give the president some really bad news?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025

But the proposal garnered fierce early opposition from some local leaders, concerned the group was making an end run around the planning process, as well as environmental groups concerned about the loss of natural habitat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2024

The states involved in the case argued that the Navajo Nation was attempting to make an end run around a Supreme Court decree that divvied up water in the Colorado River’s Lower Basin.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

Hollywood Park general manager Jack Mackenzie tried to make an end run around Smith, running up to Howard’s box in hopes of winning his word that Seabiscuit was sound and would start.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• baffle
• bamboozle
• circumvent
• deceive
• outdo
• outfox
• outmaneuver