run off
Britishverb
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(intr) to depart in haste
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(tr) to produce quickly, as copies on a duplicating machine
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to drain (liquid) or (of liquid) to be drained
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(tr) to decide (a race) by a runoff
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(tr) to get rid of (weight, etc) by running
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(intr) (of a flow of liquid) to begin to dry up; cease to run
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to steal; purloin
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to elope with
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noun
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an extra race to decide the winner after a tie
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a contest or election held after a previous one has failed to produce a clear victory for any one person
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that portion of rainfall that runs into streams as surface water rather than being absorbed into ground water or evaporating
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the overflow of a liquid from a container
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grazing land for store cattle
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Escape; see run away , def. 2.
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Flow off, drain, as in By noon all the water had run off the driveway . [Early 1700s]
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Print, duplicate, or copy, as in We ran off 200 copies of the budget . [Late 1800s]
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Decide a contest or competition, as in The last two events will be run off on Tuesday . [Late 1800s]
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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]
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Sunday in Detroit, Hernández hit a home run off Framber Valdez.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Merrill said a persistent drought, which has prompted water restrictions at the Grand Canyon, allowed the heavy rainfall to run off quickly rather than get absorbed by the ground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
During periods of drought, ground can become very hard and compacted, which can make it more water repellent and increase run off.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Intense rainfall may fall in the wrong locations, run off too quickly, or fail to recharge the systems that sustain the lakes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
“What fun you’d have! I wish I could run off too,” said Jo, forgetting her part of mentor in lively visions of martial life at the capital.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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.
