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Showing results for run-on. Search instead for run-ons.
Synonyms

run-on

American  
[ruhn-on, -awn] / ˈrʌnˌɒn, -ˌɔn /

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 British  

verb

  1. (intr) to continue without interruption

  2. to write with linked-up characters

  3. printing to compose text matter without indentation or paragraphing

"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

noun

  1. printing

    1. text matter composed without indenting

    2. ( as modifier )

      run-on text matter

    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
"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
run on Idioms  

  1. 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]

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

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

Etymology

Origin of run-on

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

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.

England coach Steve Borthwick has responded to the Scotland loss by making three personnel changes to his run-on side, with Henry Pollock given a first Test start after seven appearances as a replacement.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

Roberts, Gorsuch, and Barrett’s questioning of Katyal was far friendlier than their grilling of Sauer, who spoke in a frothy jumble of run-on sentences that was often hard to understand.

From Slate • Nov. 5, 2025

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

From Seattle Times • Apr. 18, 2024

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

From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2023

She talked like a run-on sentence, no pauses or periods.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway

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.