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.
run-on matter.
Automotive. after-run.
(intr) to continue without interruption
to write with linked-up characters
printing to compose text matter without indentation or paragraphing
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
First recorded in 1900–05; adj., noun use of verb phrase run on
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To me, when I listen, the songs feel like run-on sentences.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
Andy O’Bryan, who co-founded an online group for entrepreneurs interested in AI, said he’s seen more people trying to scuff up AI-generated prose with typos or run-on sentences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
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
His run-on sentences throbbed with anger and hatred.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Their method proved efficient enough for some of the calculations to run on a personal laptop.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
Long before the 1956 release of “And God Created Woman,” when Brigitte Bardot drew the elite’s gaze to this corner of the French Riviera, St. Tropez was a port run on shipbuilding and maritime trade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Stories about his life and death have replaced those about Mexico’s World Cup run on my social media timelines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
"Open-source" or "open-weight" models work differently: the developers release the model's core files for anyone to download, modify and run on their own computers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
They really made those things run on nothin' back then.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
