run around

See also: runaround and run-around

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

run around (third-person singular simple present runs around, present participle running around, simple past ran around, past participle run around)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see run,‎ around.

   The children ran around in the playground.

2. (idiomatic, intransitive) To be very busy doing many different things.

   I don't want to run around all week getting everything ready for the holidays.

3. (idiomatic, intransitive) To go from place to place.
   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     “A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing. […]”

4. (rail transport, of a locomotive) To move from one end of the consist to the other, so as to pull the train in the opposite direction.
5. (slang) To cheat; to be unfaithful to a romantic partner.
6. (tennis, of a forehand or a backhand) To change one's position on the court to hit a forehand rather than a backhand, or vice versa.
   • 2006, Greg Moran, Tennis Beyond Big Shots, →ISBN, page 71:

     He'd gotten into tremendous shape so that he could run around his backhand and avoid hitting it altogether. He even tried a left-handed forehand. That was how desperate he was.

Synonyms

The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}}.

• run about

Derived terms

• run-around
• runaround
• run around after
• run around in circles
• run around like a chicken with its head cut off
• run around with
• run around with one's hair on fire

 

Translations

to be very busy

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 忙碌 (zh) (mánglù), 奔忙 (zh) (bēnmáng)

• Finnish: touhuta (fi)
• French: courir partout
• Polish: biegać (pl) impf

Noun

run around (plural run arounds)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see run,‎ around.

   We let the dog off the lead so it could have a run around.

2. Alternative form of runaround.
   • 1893, The New England Medical Gazette - Volume 28, page 183:

     Natrum sulp. is my specific for inflammations of the matrix of the nails or " run arounds."

   • 1914, Mine and Quarry - Volumes 8-11, page 1176:

     The sketch shows the arrangement of run arounds for bringing the loaded trips into the bottom and for returning the empties to the proper quarter of the mine.

   • 1937, United States. National Railroad Adjustment Board, Awards: first division. 1- - Volume 7, page 504:

     The Committee contends : First, that the turn of Brakeuien W. R. Tighe and W. F. Haworth was run around at Baird by the crews of Conductors Schwartz, Russell, Hubbard, and Whaley and thereby lost 200 miles, or four 50-mile run arounds.