run-on

[ ruhn-on, -awn ]

adjective

of or designating something that is added or run on: a run-on entry in a dictionary.
Prosody. (of a line of verse) having a thought that carries over to the next line, especially without a syntactical break.

noun

run-on matter.
Automotive. after-run.

Origin of run-on

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use run-on in a sentence

I have computed the figures for The Fatal Dowry in regard to double or feminine endings and run-on lines.
The Fatal Dowry | Philip Massinger
The French name enjambement is sometimes used to designate a "run-on" line.
Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism | F. V. N. Painter
There is always a pause at the end of a line in Old English; run-on lines are uncommon.
The Translations of Beowulf | Chauncey Brewster Tinker
The dominant characteristic of this verse is its avoidance of enjambement, or run-on lines, still more of run-on couplets.
English Verse | Raymond MacDonald Alden, Ph.D.
There is a fairly free use of run-on lines; according to Schipper, 35 in the first 250 of the translation.
English Verse | Raymond MacDonald Alden, Ph.D.

British Dictionary definitions for run on

run on

verb(adverb)

(intr) to continue without interruption
to write with linked-up characters

printing to compose text matter without indentation or paragraphing

nounrun-on

printing
- text matter composed without indenting
- (as modifier): run-on text matter
- a word added at the end of a dictionary entry whose meaning can be easily inferred from the definition of the headword
- (as modifier): a run-on entry

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-on

run-on

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]

Browse