50 Idioms for Running With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Running
1. Hit the Ground Running
Meaning: To start something with energy and enthusiasm.
In a Sentence: She hit the ground running on her first day at the new school. / We hit the ground running when the bell rang for recess.
Other Ways to Say: Start strong, Begin energetically
2. Run the Show
Meaning: To take charge or be in control.
In a Sentence: Sarah ran the show at the school play, organizing everyone perfectly. / My dad likes to run the show when we plan family vacations.
Other Ways to Say: Be the boss, Take the lead
3. Running on Empty
Meaning: Operating with no energy left.
In a Sentence: After studying all night, I was running on empty at school. / Mom looked like she was running on empty after a busy day.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted, Worn out
4. Make a Run For It
Meaning: Try to escape or leave quickly.
In a Sentence: The kids made a run for it when the rain started. / The dog made a run for it as soon as the gate opened.
Other Ways to Say: Escape fast, Dash away
5. Run Like the Wind
Meaning: Run very fast.
In a Sentence: He ran like the wind to catch the bus. / She ran like the wind during the race and won first place.
Other Ways to Say: Sprint, Dash off
6. Run Into Trouble
Meaning: Encounter difficulties or problems.
In a Sentence: We ran into trouble when we got lost on our way to the campsite. / I ran into trouble trying to fix my bike.
Other Ways to Say: Face problems, Get into a mess
7. Run in the Family
Meaning: A trait or habit shared by family members.
In a Sentence: Athletic talent runs in their family. / Kindness seems to run in our family.
Other Ways to Say: A family trait, Inherited behavior
8. Run Wild
Meaning: To act without control or behave wildly.
In a Sentence: The kids ran wild at the birthday party. / My imagination runs wild when I read fantasy books.
Other Ways to Say: Go crazy, Get out of hand
9. Run for Your Life
Meaning: Escape quickly from danger.
In a Sentence: When the fire alarm rang, everyone ran for their lives. / The hiker had to run for his life from a wild bear.
Other Ways to Say: Flee, Escape urgently
10. Let It Run Its Course
Meaning: Allow something to happen naturally.
In a Sentence: The flu will go away if you let it run its course. / We let the disagreement run its course and soon made up.
Other Ways to Say: Let it be, Wait it out
11. Run Short Of
Meaning: To have less or nearly none of something.
In a Sentence: We ran short of snacks at the party. / I ran short of time while doing my homework.
Other Ways to Say: Low on, Almost out of
12. Run the Risk
Meaning: Take a chance that something bad may happen.
In a Sentence: You run the risk of being late if you don’t leave now. / He ran the risk of getting caught by cheating.
Other Ways to Say: Take a chance, Risk it
13. Run Around Like a Headless Chicken
Meaning: To act busy or confused without a clear plan.
In a Sentence: I ran around like a headless chicken before the exam. / Mom ran around like a headless chicken preparing for the guests.
Other Ways to Say: Panic, Rush without purpose
14. Run Away With
Meaning: To take something quickly and leave.
In a Sentence: The thief ran away with her purse. / My little brother ran away with my snack.
Other Ways to Say: Escape with, Steal
15. Run Its Course
Meaning: Naturally reach an end.
In a Sentence: The trend will run its course soon. / Their friendship ran its course over the years.
Other Ways to Say: Come to an end, Fade out
16. In the Long Run
Meaning: Over a long period of time.
In a Sentence: Studying now will help in the long run. / Eating healthy pays off in the long run.
Other Ways to Say: Eventually, Over time
17. Run a Tight Ship
Meaning: Manage something in an organized and strict way.
In a Sentence: Our teacher runs a tight ship during class. / The coach runs a tight ship with his team.
Other Ways to Say: Be strict, Keep order
18. Run Scared
Meaning: Be afraid of someone or something.
In a Sentence: He started running scared after hearing the ghost story. / The rival company is running scared of our new product.
Other Ways to Say: Be frightened, Intimidated
19. Let Your Imagination Run Wild
Meaning: Think freely without limits.
In a Sentence: Let your imagination run wild while writing your story. / She let her imagination run wild while painting.
Other Ways to Say: Be creative, Think outside the box
20. Run Through
Meaning: To rehearse or review quickly.
In a Sentence: Let’s run through the play before the performance. / I ran through my notes before the test.
Other Ways to Say: Review, Practice
21. Run ragged
Meaning: To exhaust someone through overwork or activity.
In a Sentence: The kids ran their babysitter ragged with all their energy.
Other Ways to Say: Worn out, Drained
22. In the long run
Meaning: Over a long period of time.
In a Sentence: Studying every day helps in the long run when exams come around.
Other Ways to Say: Eventually, Over time
23. Run of the mill
Meaning: Ordinary or average.
In a Sentence: The movie was okay—just run of the mill, nothing special.
Other Ways to Say: Plain, Average
24. Run circles around
Meaning: To outperform someone easily.
In a Sentence: Lisa ran circles around the other runners in the race.
Other Ways to Say: Outshine, Outperform
25. Run out of steam
Meaning: To lose energy or enthusiasm.
In a Sentence: I was doing great on the project but ran out of steam halfway through.
Other Ways to Say: Burned out, Lost motivation
26. Run a tight ship
Meaning: To manage something strictly and efficiently.
In a Sentence: Our teacher runs a tight ship during class time.
Other Ways to Say: Keep control, Be strict
27. Run its course
Meaning: To naturally come to an end.
In a Sentence: The cold ran its course after a week of rest.
Other Ways to Say: Come to an end, Finish naturally
28. Run into trouble
Meaning: To face difficulties.
In a Sentence: We ran into trouble when the car broke down.
Other Ways to Say: Encounter problems, Hit a snag
29. Run errands
Meaning: To go out for small tasks or chores.
In a Sentence: Mom asked me to run errands after school.
Other Ways to Say: Do chores, Make trips
30. Run away with
Meaning: To steal or take without permission.
In a Sentence: The puppy ran away with my shoe again!
Other Ways to Say: Snatch, Take off with
31. Run on empty
Meaning: Operating with no energy left.
In a Sentence: After staying up all night, I’m running on empty.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted, Burnt out
32. Run someone down
Meaning: To criticize someone harshly.
In a Sentence: It’s not kind to run people down behind their backs.
Other Ways to Say: Insult, Talk badly about
33. Run the gauntlet
Meaning: To go through a challenging or dangerous experience.
In a Sentence: The new students had to run the gauntlet of senior pranks.
Other Ways to Say: Endure, Face hardship
34. Run thin
Meaning: To become scarce or low in supply.
In a Sentence: Patience is running thin with the noisy class.
Other Ways to Say: Wearing out, Almost gone
35. Run wild
Meaning: To act out of control.
In a Sentence: The kids ran wild at the birthday party.
Other Ways to Say: Get out of hand, Go crazy
36. Run afoul of
Meaning: To get into conflict with rules or authority.
In a Sentence: He ran afoul of school rules by skipping classes.
Other Ways to Say: Break rules, Get in trouble
37. Run one’s mouth
Meaning: To talk too much or say something inappropriate.
In a Sentence: He got in trouble for running his mouth in class.
Other Ways to Say: Babble, Talk carelessly
38. Run like clockwork
Meaning: To go smoothly and on schedule.
In a Sentence: The event ran like clockwork thanks to good planning.
Other Ways to Say: Flawless, Perfect timing
39. Run dry
Meaning: To be used up or depleted.
In a Sentence: The river ran dry after weeks without rain.
Other Ways to Say: Empty, Used up
40. Run a risk
Meaning: To take a chance that might result in danger.
In a Sentence: You run a risk by not wearing your seatbelt.
Other Ways to Say: Take a chance, Risk it
41. Run with an idea
Meaning: To take an idea and act on it.
In a Sentence: She ran with the project and made it amazing.
Other Ways to Say: Expand on, Take action
42. Run riot
Meaning: To behave in an out-of-control manner.
In a Sentence: The imagination of the kids ran riot during the storytelling session.
Other Ways to Say: Let loose, Go wild
43. Run a red light
Meaning: To go through a traffic light after it’s turned red.
In a Sentence: He got a ticket for running a red light.
Other Ways to Say: Break traffic rules, Ignore the signal
44. Run the numbers
Meaning: To calculate or analyze figures.
In a Sentence: Before buying the car, Dad ran the numbers to check the budget.
Other Ways to Say: Do the math, Calculate
45. Run hot and cold
Meaning: To be inconsistent in behavior or feelings.
In a Sentence: His opinions run hot and cold about moving to a new city.
Other Ways to Say: Changeable, Inconsistent
46. Run on fumes
Meaning: To continue with very low resources or energy.
In a Sentence: I was running on fumes by the end of finals week.
Other Ways to Say: Barely hanging on, Almost out of energy
47. Run up against
Meaning: To face an obstacle.
In a Sentence: We ran up against time limits during the test.
Other Ways to Say: Encounter, Come across
48. Run a fever
Meaning: To have a high body temperature due to illness.
In a Sentence: Jack stayed home because he was running a fever.
Other Ways to Say: Have a fever, Be unwell
49. Run on
Meaning: To continue for a long time.
In a Sentence: The meeting ran on for hours.
Other Ways to Say: Go long, Drag out
50. Run like the wind
Meaning: To run very fast.
In a Sentence: She ran like the wind during the race.
Other Ways to Say: Sprint, Dash quickly
