run around
Britishverb
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(often foll by with) to associate habitually (with)
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to behave in a fickle or promiscuous manner
noun
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informal deceitful or evasive treatment of a person (esp in the phrase give or get the run-around )
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printing an arrangement of printed matter in which the column width is narrowed to accommodate an illustration
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Go about hurriedly here and there, as in I have been running around all day so I want to stay home tonight and relax . [Early 1900s]
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Also, run around with . Associate or consort with socially, as in At college she began to run around with a very liberal group . [Late 1800s]
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Be sexually unfaithful, as in She caught him running around just once too often and finally sued for divorce . [Early 1900s]
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.
They swim, bike, wrestle, play football and generally run around the house.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
"It also makes it visible so people can see it, and it's a lovely open access site that kids love to run around," Holden added.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
I’d sleep in, then go for a run to the beach and run around Venice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Friday's stage five is a 166km run around Dubai and should also result in a bunch sprint.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
Never look them in the eyes; always be respectful; remain humble; remember that they are good, fine people; don’t make folks angry; never run around by yourself; be careful, be careful, be careful.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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.
