on the run
Idioms-
In rapid retreat; also, attempting to escape from pursuers. For example, The guerrillas were on the run after the ambush , or The burglars were on the run from the police . [Early 1800s]
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Hurrying from place to place, as in The company officers were always on the run from New York to Los Angeles and back . [Late 1800s]
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.
Jonny was leading when his legs started to give way on the run leg in gruelling heat.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Jibril’s wife is on the run, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
He stuck to a mostly conservative play script, leaning on the run and relying primarily on short passes through the air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
He had two passes intercepted, was sacked three times and did not look comfortable throwing on the run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Never Tell Our Business to Strangers was a memoir by a woman whose father lived on the run from the law.
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
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.
