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

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

The best way to navigate the broken system is to make an end run around the ATS gatekeepers to find a back door into the company by connecting with a human who works there.

From Slate • Oct. 6, 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

Arizona, Nevada and California contend the Navajo Nation is making an end run around another Supreme Court case that divvied up water in the Colorado River’s Lower Basin.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 17, 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