run-on

[ ruhn-on, -awn ]

/ ˈrʌnˌɒn, -ˌɔn /

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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.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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Origin of run-on

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

Words nearby run-on

run off with, run of luck, run-of-paper, run-of-the-mill, run-of-the-mine, run-on, run one ragged, run one's eyes over, run one's head against the wall, run one's own show, run-on sentence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use run-on in a sentence

Just the hard-on before you shoot unarmed members of the public.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Everybody is trapped in an elevator together and tempers run a little hot.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Using standard methods, the cost of printing DNA could run upwards of a billion dollars or more, depending on the strand.
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Should lightning strike and Hillary Clinton forgoes a presidential run, Democrats have a nominee in waiting.
Sen. Warren’s Main Street Crusade to Pressure Clinton|Eleanor Clift|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Do not the widow's tears run down the cheek, and her cry against him that causeth them to fall?
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
A few, very few, little dots had run back over that green patch—the others had passed down into the world of darkness.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
But if what I told him were true, he was still at a loss how a kingdom could run out of its estate like a private person.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
The controlling leaders being out of gear the machine did not run smoothly: there was nothing but friction and tension.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
When these last words of his were interpreted to her, she started, made as if she would run after him, but checked herself.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson

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

noun run-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]

Talk at length; see go on, def. 5.

Continue a text without a break; see run in, def. 2.