run off

British  

verb

1. (intr) to depart in haste

2. (tr) to produce quickly, as copies on a duplicating machine

3. to drain (liquid) or (of liquid) to be drained

4. (tr) to decide (a race) by a runoff

5. (tr) to get rid of (weight, etc) by running

6. (intr) (of a flow of liquid) to begin to dry up; cease to run

7. 1. to steal; purloin

   2. to elope with

---

noun

1. 1. an extra race to decide the winner after a tie

   2. a contest or election held after a previous one has failed to produce a clear victory for any one person

2. that portion of rainfall that runs into streams as surface water rather than being absorbed into ground water or evaporating

3. the overflow of a liquid from a container

4. grazing land for store cattle

run off Idioms  

1. Escape; see run away , def. 2.

2. Flow off, drain, as in By noon all the water had run off the driveway . [Early 1700s]

3. Print, duplicate, or copy, as in We ran off 200 copies of the budget . [Late 1800s]

4. Decide a contest or competition, as in The last two events will be run off on Tuesday . [Late 1800s]

5. Also, run someone out . Force or drive someone away, as in The security guard ran off the trespassers , or They ran him out of town . [Early 1700s]

6. Produce or perform quickly and easily, as in After years of practice, he could run off a sermon in a couple of hours . [Late 1600s]

---

Example Sentences

This problem has emerged as the central bank has embarked on successive attempts at quantitative tightening—shrinking its balance sheet by allowing bonds to run off the asset side of the ledger.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s going to take a while for a lot of this water to run off,” Cook said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Filled with photos and memorabilia, the coffee table book reflects on the "40 years since I quit my day job and ran off to join the circus".

From BBC

Carson only ran off four plays in the second quarter until getting the ball back with 1:05 left.

From Los Angeles Times

So I kicked the door but when I kicked the door there was someone on the stairs shouting, so I ran off.

From BBC

Related Words

• avoid
• depart
• disappear
• dodge
• elude
• emerge
• evade
• flee
• fly
• leave
• run
• slip
• slip away
• vanish