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Showing results for ran. Search instead for RCAN.
Synonyms

ran

1 American  
[ran] / ræn /

verb

  1. simple past tense of run.

Ran 2 American  
[rahn] / rɑn /

noun

Scandinavian Mythology.

  1. a sea goddess who drags down ships and drowns sailors: the wife of Aegir.

RAN 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. Royal Australian Navy

"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
ran 2 British  
/ ræn /

verb

  1. the past tense of run

"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

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.

Last year, with Stafford sidelined for training camp because of a back issue, Garoppolo ran the offense and prepped the defense with a skillset honed during a 12-year career that included a Super Bowl appearance.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

Tim Cook is leaving Apple the way he ran it — with precision, grace and impeccable timing.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

The 33-year-old, from Sheffield, ran the same race last year and finished sixth with a time of 2:22:38, and knew she was going to face a tougher task this year.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

"As soon as we heard the earthquake alert, everyone ran downstairs," Chaw Su Thwe, a Myanmar national living in Hokkaido, told the BBC.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

We ran six or eight lines across the crick.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

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.