run-on

[ruhn-on, -awn]

adjective

1. of or designating something that is added or run on.

   a run-on entry in a dictionary.

2. Prosody.,  (of a line of verse) having a thought that carries over to the next line, especially without a syntactical break.

noun

1. run-on matter.

2. Automotive.,  after-run.

run on

verb

1. (intr) to continue without interruption

2. to write with linked-up characters

3. printing to compose text matter without indentation or paragraphing

noun

1. printing

   1. text matter composed without indenting

   2. ( as modifier )

      run-on text matter

2. 1. a word added at the end of a dictionary entry whose meaning can be easily inferred from the definition of the headword

   2. ( as modifier )

      a run-on entry

Word History and Origins

Origin of run on¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

The narrator, a reader with siblings and a penchant for run-on sentences, brings a modernist sensibility to the texture of her daily life.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The impulse to exaggerate — and vent his frustration in run-on sentences with odd punctuation and random capitalization — is a sure sign Trump is in a swivet.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But if the above resembles a run-on sentence, here’s the reason: the Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance defies easy description.

Read more on Seattle Times

Bowl at 4:30 p.m. at SoFi Stadium against Mountain West champion Boise State solely as a full-stop punctuation mark for this run-on season.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Winding, run-on sentences are common; so are fishermen.

Read more on New York Times

Related Words

• advance 
• carry on 
• carry over 
• endure 
• extend 
• go on 
• last 
• linger 
• maintain 
• persist 
• progress 
• promote 
• pursue 
• reach 
• remain 
• stay 
• survive 
• sustain