run over
Britishverb
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(tr, adverb) to knock down (a person) with a moving vehicle
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(intr) to overflow the capacity of (a container)
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(intr, preposition) to examine hastily or make a rapid survey of
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(intr, preposition) to exceed (a limit)
we've run over our time
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Knock down and, often, pass over, as in The car ran over our dog . [First half of 1900s]
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Review quickly, as in I'll run over the speech one more time . [Early 1600s]
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Overflow, as in This pot's running over . This usage appears in the well-known Twenty-third Psalm: “My cup runneth over [with God's bounty].”
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Go beyond, exceed, as in I've run over the allotted time, but there are still questions . [Early 1500s]
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.
Typical rush hour congestion already creates borderline unsafe conditions for boarding and exiting popular junctions like Penn Station and Secaucus, partially because these rail lines already run over capacity.
From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026
"Be gentle but we are going. Don’t run over anybody, do not do what they did to us."
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
Gartner predicts the average Fortune 500 enterprise will run over 150,000 AI agents in two years, but only 13% have adequate governance.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
The line was good enough: one run over 4⅔ innings, with one walk and seven strikeouts.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026
He grew bigger, I heard his panting, the water his feet kicked up splashed on my face, and I thought he would run over me.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
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.
