outrun

American  

[out-ruhn] / ˌaʊtˈrʌn /

verb (used with object)

outran, outrun, outrunning

1. to run faster or farther than.

2. to escape by or as if by running.

   They managed to outrun the police.

3. to exceed; excel; surpass.

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outrun British  

/ ˌaʊtˈrʌn /

verb

1. to run faster, farther, or better than

2. to escape from by or as if by running

3. to go beyond; exceed

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Etymology

Origin of outrun

First recorded in 1520–30; out + run

Example Sentences

“If she truly wanted to outrun the past, she would first need to return to it.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The Atlanta-based carrier’s strategy has helped it outrun challenges that have weighed on the broader airline industry.

From The Wall Street Journal

The scene from 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark shows Indiana Jones - played by Harrison Ford - outrunning a giant boulder triggered by a booby trap, before leaping to safety.

From BBC

Bears, who can weigh up to half a ton and outrun humans, have been breaking into homes looking for food, nosing around schools and rampaging through supermarkets.

From Barron's

There is no rush to conduct an operation against the Bella 1, a slow-moving vessel that cannot outrun U.S. forces now that its location is known, U.S. officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• elude
• surpass