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• run-on
  run-on

  adjective

  of or designating something that is added or run on.
• run on
  run on

  verb

  (intr) to continue without interruption

run-on

American  

[ruhn-on, -awn] / ˈrʌnˌɒn, -ˌɔn /

adjective

1. of or designating something that is added or run on.

   a run-on entry in a dictionary.

2. Prosody. (of a line of verse) having a thought that carries over to the next line, especially without a syntactical break.

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noun

1. run-on matter.

2. Automotive. after-run.

run on British  

verb

1. (intr) to continue without interruption

2. to write with linked-up characters

3. printing to compose text matter without indentation or paragraphing

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noun

1. printing

   1. text matter composed without indenting

   2. ( as modifier )

      run-on text matter

2. 1. a word added at the end of a dictionary entry whose meaning can be easily inferred from the definition of the headword

   2. ( as modifier )

      a run-on entry

run on Idioms  

1. Keep going, continue; also, remain in effect. For example, That murder trial has been running on for months , or How much longer can this debt be allowed to run on? [Late 1500s]

2. Talk at length; see go on , def. 5.

3. Continue a text without a break; see run in , def. 2.

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Etymology

Origin of run-on

First recorded in 1900–05; adj., noun use of verb phrase run on

Example Sentences

He’d been a tabloid sensation in the decade prior thanks to his villainous four-season run on MTV’s reality series “The Hills,” and his ratings-boon relationship with co-star Heidi Montag.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

Researchers compared it to taking painkillers while continuing to run on an injured ankle.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2026

A slow-motion run on these funds is under way.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

Much more of this and there's going to be a run on heart-rate monitors among the maroon-clad folk from Edinburgh.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

Why did he, too, think my life should run on his terms?

From "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon

Related Words

• advance
• carry on
• carry over
• endure
• extend
• go on
• last
• linger
• maintain
• persist
• progress
• promote
• pursue
• reach
• remain
• stay
• survive
• sustain