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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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outrunsimple
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outrunssimple
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have outrunperfect
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has outrunperfect
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am outrunningprogressive
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are outrunningprogressive
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is outrunningprogressive
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have been outrunningperfect progressive
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has been outrunningperfect progressive
Past
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outransimple
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had outrunperfect
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was outrunningprogressive
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were outrunningprogressive
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had been outrunningperfect progressive
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.
A teen riding an electric motorcycle in an Orange County park learned a tough lesson after trying to go wheel to wheel against a police officer: motorcycle cops are very hard to outrun.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
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
Beyond their farm were monsters and giants and wolves, and many times Thialfi walked into trouble and had to outrun it.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
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.
