Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who runs, especially in a race or sport: A runner is someone who moves at a speed faster than a walk, typically as a form of exercise or competition.
   • A messenger or errand person: A runner is someone employed to deliver messages, documents, or items.
   • A smuggler: A runner is someone who imports or exports goods illegally without paying customs duties.
   • A part on which something slides: A runner is a device, such as a blade, strip, or groove, that allows an object to slide smoothly along a surface.
   • A horizontal plant stem: In botany, a runner is a slender stem that grows horizontally along the ground and can take root to form a new plant.
   • A baseball player on base: In baseball, a runner is an offensive player who is on a base or is attempting to reach one.
   • A football player carrying the ball: In American football, the runner is the offensive player who is carrying the football and attempting to advance it.
   • A long, narrow carpet or strip of cloth: A runner is a long piece of carpet, usually placed in a hallway or on stairs.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • She is a dedicated marathon runner. (She competes in long-distance races.)
  • The office runner delivered the package to the client. (The messenger carried the package.)
  • Customs officials caught the drug runner at the border. (The smuggler was apprehended.)
  • The drawer moves smoothly on its wooden runners. (The sliding parts guide the drawer.)
  • Strawberry plants spread by sending out runners. (The stems grow along the soil.)
  • The runner on first base stole second. (The baseball player advanced to the next base.)
  • The runner was tackled just short of the goal line. (The football player with the ball was stopped.)
  • We have a beautiful Persian runner in the hallway. (A long, narrow carpet decorates the floor.)

Advanced Usage

• "Front runner": The contestant or idea most likely to succeed in a competition or election.
  • She is the front runner for the promotion.
• "Blockade runner": A ship or person that evades a naval blockade.
  • The runner smuggled supplies past the blockade.

Variants and Related Words

• Run (verb): To move at a speed faster than a walk.
• Running (noun/adj): The action or sport of moving rapidly on foot.
• Runny (adj): Having a liquid consistency; flowing (not directly related to a person who runs).

Synonyms

• Athlete: A person proficient in sports, especially track events.
• Courier: A messenger who transports goods or documents.
• Smuggler: A person who moves goods illegally across borders.
• Stolon: The botanical term for a horizontal plant stem or runner.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Run down: To chase and catch; to criticize; or to lose power.
  • The police ran down the suspect. (This uses the base verb "run," not "runner.")
• Run into: To meet unexpectedly; to collide with.
  • I ran into an old friend. (This uses the base verb "run.")

Related Idioms

• Do a runner (informal): To leave or escape quickly, especially to avoid paying or getting into trouble.
  • He did a runner from the restaurant without paying the bill.
• The runners and riders: The list of competitors in a race or contest.
  • Let's look at the runners and riders for the upcoming election.

Noun

1. fish of western Atlantic: Cape Cod to Brazil
2. device consisting of the parts on which something can slide along
3. a long narrow carpet
4. (football) the player who is carrying (and trying to advance) the ball on an offensive play
5. a trained athlete who competes in foot races
6. a horizontal branch from the base of plant that produces new plants from buds at its tips
7. a baseball player on the team at bat who is on base (or attempting to reach a base)
8. a person who is employed to deliver messages or documents
   • he sent a runner over with the contract
9. someone who travels on foot by running
10. someone who imports or exports without paying duties