outrun

[out-ruhn]

See more synonyms for outrun on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), out·ran, out·run, out·run·ning.

to run faster or farther than.
to escape by or as if by running: They managed to outrun the police.
to exceed; excel; surpass.

Origin of outrun

First recorded in 1520–30; out + run

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for outrun

elude, surpass, beat, distance, exceed, defeat

Examples from the Web for outrun

Contemporary Examples of outrun

The subplot is always whether The Company will outrun her latest mood swing, which also turns out to be somehow brilliant.
How Crazy Became All the Rage on TV
Elizabeth Wurtzel
October 11, 2013
The Bonnie and Clyde couple must rob a virtual bank, threaten virtual civilians, and then outrun the virtual police!
Kanye West, John Legend & More Best Music Videos of the Week (VIDEO)
Victoria Kezra
August 4, 2013
But their attempts to outrun his Secret Service detail end in disaster when Finn hits a woman and flees the scene.
‘Mad Men,’ ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘The Americans’: Reading Prestige TV Dramas as YA Fiction
Alyssa Rosenberg
April 10, 2013
Those who carry out this pillage probably believe they can outrun their own destructiveness.
Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco Chronicle Mining Catastrophes in West Virginia
Chris Hedges, Joe Sacco
June 14, 2012
Their ability to outrun and outjump gives them a consistently generous margin for error, which is a huge luxury.
How the Oklahoma City Thunder Out-Heated the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals
Jesse Singal
June 13, 2012

Historical Examples of outrun

Bill had horses which could outrun the fugitive, and why did he not use them?
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
Do you imagine you can outrun two squadrons of German cruisers?
The Cruise of the Dry Dock
T. S. Stribling
Fast men in modern times are very apt to outrun the constable.
The Comic Latin Grammar
Percival Leigh
I have more last than you have and can outrun these fellows, never fear.
The Cat of Bubastes
G. A. Henty
He leaned forward and spurred his horse to outrun the pursuers.
The Treasure Trail
Marah Ellis Ryan

British Dictionary definitions for outrun

outrun

verb -runs, -running, -ran or -run (tr)

to run faster, farther, or better than
to escape from by or as if by running
to go beyond; exceed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for outrun

mid-14c., "to run out," from out (adv.) + run (v.). Sense of "to outstrip in running" is from 1520s; figurative use from 1650s. Related: Outran; outrunning.