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

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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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

run off

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

Freya Kemp hit the winning run off Bree Illing as got England over the line with 37 balls, to spare to wrap up their seventh successive T20 bilateral series victory against the White Ferns.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

One night six weeks in, on a rain-slicked stretch of wooded two-lane, they’re nearly run off the road by that speeding Honda, which crashes ahead of them.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

Successive rounds of bond-buying during the financial crisis and the Covid pandemic pushed it to a peak near $9 trillion before the Fed began letting some holdings run off.

From Barron's ● May 6, 2026

“She can’t have run off again,” Taran cried.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

Related Words

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