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  • ran
    ran
    verb
    simple past tense of run.
  • Ran
    Ran
    noun
    a sea goddess who drags down ships and drowns sailors: the wife of Aegir.
  • RAN
    RAN
    abbreviation
    Royal Australian Navy
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.

Grieving relatives of Ran Gvili gathered on Wednesday as Israel prepared to bury the last hostage returned from Gaza, marking the end of a painful national saga triggered by Hamas's 2023 attack.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

The Israeli military said on Monday that the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza, Ran Gvili, had been identified and were being repatriated to Israel for burial.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

The remains of Ran Gvili, an Israeli military police sergeant who was killed and whose body was stolen to Gaza during the Hamas-led attack, were identified after a monthslong recovery effort.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

Ran economic blockades and encouraged American companies to treat the region’s riches, and its workers, like a cookie jar.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2026

Ran off to Mexico to avoid his pregnant girlfriend and ended up in Germany.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

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.