verb
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to run faster, farther, or better than
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to escape from by or as if by running
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to go beyond; exceed
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has outrunperfect 3rd person singular
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have outrunperfect
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am outrunningprogressive 1st person singular
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are outrunningprogressive
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outrunningparticiple
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has been outrunningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been outrunningperfect progressive
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is outrunningprogressive 3rd person singular
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outrunssingular 3rd person
Past
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had outrunperfect
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was outrunningprogressive singular
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had been outrunningperfect progressive
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were outrunningprogressive plural
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outransimple
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outrunparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of outrun
Explanation
To outrun someone is to move faster than they do. Your lazy cat might enjoy hunting for mice, although the mice always seem to outrun him in the end. You can outrun an opponent in a race, and you can also watch a video game character outrun a pursuing zombie — outrun can also mean "escape from." Your dog might enjoy chasing cars, never managing to outrun them. More figuratively, you can say that your hopes always outrun the reality of a situation. In other words, what you dream of exceeds what actually happens.
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.
Even after his release, his combat-gear-clad image, zip ties in hand, became a visual he couldn’t outrun.
From Slate • May 28, 2026
But investors are increasingly questioning whether the artificial intelligence-led surge in valuations has outrun underlying fundamentals.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
There’s a good chance inflation will outrun wage growth for months or even the rest of 2026, economists say.
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
As I got older, I realized I brought it with me, and it is a part of me, and how much therapy do I have to do to outrun this?”
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
There was an opening to the street not too far away, but the question was whether they could outrun Mr. Remora and his goons for the second time that night.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
