run down

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Explanation of "Run Down"

Definition: "Run down" is a versatile phrase in English that can mean several things depending on the context. Here are some of the primary meanings:

Usage Instructions:

• Context is Key: Make sure to understand the context in which "run down" is used to grasp its intended meaning.
• Phrasal Verb: "Run down" is a phrasal verb, which means it consists of a verb ("run") and a particle ("down"). When you see phrasal verbs, they often have meanings that are not directly connected to the individual words.

Advanced Usage:

• In a more figurative sense, "run down" can also refer to someone who is feeling tired or unwell.
  • Example: After working so many hours, I feel completely run down.

Word Variants:

• Running down: Present continuous form, used to describe ongoing action.
  • Example: I am running down my options before making a decision.
• Ran down: Past tense.
  • Example: She ran down the street to catch the bus.

Different Meanings:

• Run down can also refer to a vehicle or machine that has stopped working due to a lack of energy or fuel.
  • Example: My car ran down after I forgot to fill the gas tank.

Synonyms:

• For "pursue until captured": chase, hunt down.
• For "deplete": exhaust, use up.
• For "examine hastily": skim, glance over.
• For "injure by running over": hit, run over.

Idioms and Phrases:

• Run someone down: This can also mean to criticize someone harshly.
  • Example: He always runs down my ideas without offering any alternatives.

Summary:

"Run down" is a flexible English phrase that can refer to capturing, depleting resources, quick examination, injury by a vehicle, or downward movement.

Academic

Verb

1. pursue until captured
   • They ran down the fugitive
2. deplete
   • exhaust one's savings
   • We quickly played out our strength
3. examine hastily
   • She scanned the newspaper headlines while waiting for the taxi
4. use up all one's strength and energy and stop working
   • At the end of the march, I pooped out
5. injure or kill by running over, as with a vehicle
6. move downward
   • The water ran down
7. trace
   • We are running down a few tips

Synonyms

• exhaust
• play out
• sap
• tire
• scan
• skim
• rake
• glance over
• poop out
• peter out
• run out
• conk out
• run over
• check out