run to earth

Idioms

Also, run to ground. Track down, find, as in Somehow we have to run those relatives of hers to earth, or It won't be easy, but I'm sure we can run that jewelry to ground. This expression comes from hunting, where hounds run their quarry to the earth or ground, that is, to their lair. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s.

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.

“I would have stood my ground when the chance was offered. Now we have let ourselves be run to earth like foxes.”

From Literature

A fox had been run to earth, and "a dog, which the Prince loved," followed it.

From Project Gutenberg

I want nothing better than to see Amos run to earth; for I have not forgotten the voyage of the Mary Greenfield, when mainly through him I was cast into irons.

From Project Gutenberg

They are run to earth, Amos, 'tis true, got away like foxes.

From Project Gutenberg

"Run to earth, my lad!" he cried boisterously.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023