Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

runner

American  
[ruhn-er] / ˈrʌn ər /

noun

  1. a person, animal, or thing that runs, especially as a racer.

  2. a messenger.

  3. a messenger of a bank or brokerage house.

  4. Baseball. base runner.

  5. Football. the ball-carrier.

  6. a person whose business it is to solicit patronage or trade.

  7. a person acting as collector, agent, or the like, for a bank, broker, etc.

  8. something in or on which something else runs or moves.

  9. either of the long, bladelike strips of metal or wood on which a sled or sleigh slides.

  10. the blade of an ice skate.

  11. the rotating system of blades driven by the fluid passing through a reaction turbine.

  12. the rotating member of a pair of millstones.

  13. a roller on which something moves along.

  14. Furniture.

    1. a sliding piece, as a loper.

    2. rocker.

  15. an operator or manager, as of a machine.

  16. a long, narrow rug, suitable for a hall or passageway.

  17. a long, narrow strip of line, embroidery, lace, or the like, placed across a table.

  18. Botany.

    1. a slender stolon that runs along the surface of the ground and sends out roots and leaves at the nodes, as in the strawberry.

    2. a plant that spreads by such stems.

  19. Metallurgy. any of the channels through which molten metal flows.

  20. a smuggler.

  21. a vessel engaged in smuggling.

  22. a person who takes, transmits, and often pays off bets for a bookmaker or a numbers pool.

  23. Ichthyology. a jurel, Caranx crysos, inhabiting waters from Cape Cod to Brazil.

  24. Building Trades. a horizontal longitudinal timber resting upon the uprights of a staging and supporting the footing pieces.

  25. Theater. a piece of carpet or matting placed in the wings for deadening offstage sounds.

  26. a tackle or part of a tackle consisting of a line rove through a single block and fixed at one end.

runner British  
/ ˈrʌnə /

noun

  1. a person who runs, esp an athlete

  2. a messenger for a bank or brokerage firm

  3. an employee of an art or antique dealer who visits auctions to bid on desired lots

  4. a person engaged in the solicitation of business

  5. a person on the run; fugitive

    1. a person or vessel engaged in smuggling; smuggler

    2. ( in combination )

      a rum-runner

  7. a person who operates, manages, or controls something

    1. either of the strips of metal or wood on which a sledge runs

    2. the blade of an ice skate

  9. a roller or guide for a sliding component

  10. a channel through which molten material enters a casting or moulding

  11. the rotating element of a water turbine

  12. another name for running belay

  13. any of various carangid fishes of temperate and tropical seas, such as Caranx crysos ( blue runner ) of American Atlantic waters

  14. botany

    1. a slender stem with very long internodes, as of the strawberry, that arches down to the ground and propagates by producing roots and shoots at the nodes or tip

    2. a plant that propagates in this way

  15. a strip of lace, linen, etc, placed across a table, dressing table, etc for protection and decoration

  16. a narrow rug or carpet, as for a passage

  17. another word for rocker

  18. slang to run away in order to escape trouble or to avoid paying for something

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
runner Scientific  
/ rŭn′ər /

  1. A slender stem that grows horizontally and puts down roots to form new plants. Strawberries spread by runners.

  2. Also called stolon

  3. Compare bulb corm rhizome tuber

Etymology

Origin of runner

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; run, -er 1

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.

Spencer also describes herself as a marathon runner and "housemate to four rescued greyhounds", with the dogs spotted campaigning with her in the constituency.

From BBC

A coroner has called for better signs at level crossings after a runner listening to music died when he was hit by a train.

From BBC

They had outgunned Scotland, routing them at the breakdown, stifling their lethal runners, battering them in the collisions.

From BBC

Earlier research found that ultramarathon runners often experience a breakdown of healthy red blood cells during races, which can potentially lead to anemia.

From Science Daily

In recent years, MLB has tweaked the game — implementing a replay system to challenge calls on the field, placing a runner on second base to start extra innings, using a pitch clock.

From Los Angeles Times

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.