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.
Two of the 14, who are alleged to be leaders of the operation, remain on the run and are being tried in absentia.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
A 48-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of carrying out a spate of sabotage attacks on Germany's electricity grid after spending several days on the run.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
But the real exhilarating and exultant joy is that of the chase — two very different men forced on the run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Jibril’s wife is on the run, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
I had been on the run for days and my mind felt as weak as my legs.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
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.
