run-in

[ ruhn-in ]
See synonyms for run-in on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a quarrel; argument.

  2. Printing. matter that is added to a text, especially without indenting for a new paragraph.

adjective
  1. Printing. added to a text without indenting.

Origin of run-in

1
First recorded in 1900–05; noun, adj. use of verb phrase run in

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use run-in in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for run in

run in

verb(adverb)
  1. to run (an engine) gently, usually for a specified period when it is new, in order that the running surfaces may become polished

  2. (tr) to insert or include

  1. (intr) (of an aircraft) to approach a point or target

  2. (tr) informal to take into custody; arrest: he was run in for assault

nounrun-in
  1. informal an argument or quarrel: he had a run-in with the boss yesterday

  2. an approach to the end of an event, etc: the run-in to the championship

  1. printing matter inserted in an existing paragraph

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with run-in

run-in

Insert or include something extra, as in Can you run this map in with the text? [Early 1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.