runner
runner — noun
1. a person who runs, either for exercise and enjoyment or as an entrant in a foot
a person who runs, either for exercise and enjoyment or as an entrant in a foot race.
Asher trains every morning at six because he wants to be a faster long-distance runner.
modifier pattern: [adjective] + runner
There were over five thousand runners at the start line of the Taipei Marathon.
plural runners for a race field
Gabriela was the first runner to cross the finish line at the school sports day.
the first runner to + verb
My grandmother was a keen runner well into her seventies.
collocation: keen runner
Coach Omar told the slower runners to drink water before they started the second lap.
- long-distance runner
- marathon runner
- keen runner
- experienced runner
- fast runner
Grammar Patterns
[noun] runner
runner in [race/event]
Usage Note
Often modified by an adjective showing the type or skill (long-distance runner, keen runner, fast runner). Subject of a race-related verb such as 'finish', 'cross', 'complete'.
Common Mistakes
2. a horse that is taking part in a particular race.
a horse that is taking part in a particular race.
There are only six runners in the two o'clock race at Ascot today.
[number] + runners + in + [race]
Quan studied the form guide before betting on a runner with long odds.
The trainer pulled his runner from the Derby after the horse hurt its leg.
pull a runner from a race
Yuki cheered loudly as her favourite runner came around the final bend.
- six runners
- favourite runner
- non-runner
- leading runner
- competitor
any entrant in a race, human or animal
- entry
the formal name on the race card
- non-runner
a horse withdrawn before the race starts
Grammar Patterns
runner in [race]
[number] runners
Usage Note
Belongs to horse-racing reporting and betting talk. Distinguish from sense 1 (a person who runs) — context (race meeting, trainer, odds) signals the horse meaning.
3. a junior employee paid to carry papers, money, or short messages between people
a junior employee paid to carry papers, money, or short messages between people in an office, a courtroom, a film set, or a similar place.
Aarav started in the law firm as a runner, fetching files between the courtrooms and the office.
start as a runner
The film crew hired Élise as a runner to bring coffee and scripts to the actors.
hire someone as a runner
Send the runner upstairs with these contracts before the meeting ends.
imperative: send the runner with [documents]
Defne worked as a runner for a big trading firm during her summer holidays.
work as a runner for + [organization]
- work as a runner
- office runner
- bank runner
- send a runner
Grammar Patterns
runner for [person/group]
work as a runner
Usage Note
The role is usually entry-level and physical (carrying things, going place to place). Common in law, finance, and film-set contexts. The person being served is named with 'for' (a runner for the bank).
Common Mistakes
4. a soft shoe with a flexible sole, used for running and other sports.
a soft shoe with a flexible sole, used for running and other sports.
Zola put on her runners and headed to the park for a quick jog.
put on + runners
These runners have a soft sole that protects my knees on long routes.
You will need a pair of runners and shorts for the PE class on Friday.
a pair of runners
Wren bought a new pair of runners for the school cross-country race.
- a pair of runners
- wear runners
- new runners
- muddy runners
- trainers
British English equivalent
- sneakers
American English equivalent
- running shoes
neutral, used everywhere
Grammar Patterns
a pair of runners
wear runners
Usage Note
Mainly Australian and Irish English; American speakers say 'sneakers' or 'running shoes', British speakers usually say 'trainers'. Almost always plural in everyday use.
Common Mistakes
5. in rugby, American football, and baseball, a player who is moving with the ball
in rugby, American football, and baseball, a player who is moving with the ball or trying to reach the next base.
Two defenders tackled the runner just before he reached the end zone.
tackle the runner
Christopher threw the ball to first base and caught the runner stealing.
catch the runner stealing (baseball)
The fly half passed quickly to the runner on his outside.
With two runners on base, Justin stepped up to bat in the ninth inning.
runners on base (baseball)
- tackle the runner
- lead runner
- runners on base
- the runner scored
- ball carrier
the rugby and American football term
- base runner
the baseball-specific term
- tackler
the defensive player trying to stop the runner
Grammar Patterns
the runner [verb]
tackle/catch the runner
Usage Note
Sports context distinguishes this from sense 1: rugby/football refers to the ball carrier; baseball refers to a player on base. The verbs 'tackle', 'catch', 'pass to', and 'on base' are reliable signals.
6. a long, narrow strip — usually metal — fixed under a sledge, ice skate, or drawe
a long, narrow strip — usually metal — fixed under a sledge, ice skate, or drawer to let it slide smoothly along a surface.
Hyun waxed the runners of his sledge so it would glide faster down the snowy hill.
runners of a sledge
The drawer would not open because one of its runners had bent out of shape.
runners of a drawer
Olivia sharpened the runners on her ice skates the night before the competition.
runners on ice skates
The old kitchen cupboard sat on metal runners that let it slide out from the wall.
sit on runners
- runners of a sledge
- drawer runners
- metal runners
- on runners
Grammar Patterns
the runners of [a sledge/drawer]
on runners
Usage Note
Always refers to a part you can see, not a whole object. Often plural (a sledge has two runners). Check the context — kitchen, workshop, or winter sports — to know which kind of runner is meant.
7. a thin piece of fabric, usually long and rectangular, laid down the middle of a
a thin piece of fabric, usually long and rectangular, laid down the middle of a dining table to make it look nicer.
Camille spread a linen runner down the centre of the table before placing the candles.
collocation: spread / lay a runner down the table
The hotel uses red velvet runners on every table during the December banquets.
plural countable noun in a decor context
Iris bought a hand-stitched runner from a small shop in Kyoto for her dining room.
A narrow cotton runner softened the long wooden surface where the guests would eat.
typical adjectives: narrow, long, embroidered, linen
- table runner
- linen runner
- embroidered runner
- spread a runner
- lay a runner
- table runner
the explicit compound; clearer than 'runner' alone in many contexts
Grammar Patterns
a runner of [material]
table runner
Usage Note
Often appears as the compound 'table runner'. Distinguish from sense 8 (a runner on the floor or stairs) — this one sits on top of furniture.
8. a thin, slender carpet stretched down a hallway floor or fitted up the steps of
a thin, slender carpet stretched down a hallway floor or fitted up the steps of a staircase, both to protect what is underneath and to add some colour.
A faded blue runner stretched the full length of the upstairs corridor.
collocation: runner stretches / runs along [a corridor]
Vikram nailed a striped wool runner to each step so the children would not slip.
fix / nail / lay a runner on the stairs
The old hotel still had a worn green runner climbing the marble staircase.
Anong rolled up the hallway runner before the movers arrived with the boxes.
typical scene: hallway, staircase, corridor
- stair runner
- hallway runner
- carpet runner
- wool runner
- lay a runner
- carpet runner
the fuller compound; emphasises that it is a strip of carpet
- stair runner
specifically the kind fitted to a staircase
Grammar Patterns
a runner along [the hallway / the stairs]
Usage Note
Subject is usually placed in a hallway, on stairs, or down a long corridor — never on top of a table (that is sense 7). Often modified by colour or material adjectives ('blue', 'wool', 'striped').
9. a thin stem that a plant pushes out sideways across the soil; where the stem tou
a thin stem that a plant pushes out sideways across the soil; where the stem touches the ground, new roots and a new plant grow.
Strawberry plants send out runners that quickly take root and form fresh fruit beds.
collocation: send out / put out runners
Eli pinned each spider plant runner into a small pot of damp compost.
context: gardening, propagation
Mint will spread across an entire flower bed by sending runners under the soil.
spread by runners / via runners
Shirin trimmed back the runners to stop the strawberries from invading the lettuce row.
trim / cut back / pinch off runners
- send out runners
- put out runners
- strawberry runners
- spread by runners
- trim runners
- stolon
the formal botanical term for the same structure
Grammar Patterns
send out runners
spread by runners
Usage Note
Usually plural: a single plant produces several runners at once. Frequently paired with verbs of growth or spreading ('send out', 'put out', 'spread by'). Common with strawberries, mint, spider plants.
10. a person whose job is to carry banned items — for example narcotics, firearms, o
a person whose job is to carry banned items — for example narcotics, firearms, or untaxed tobacco — between locations on behalf of a larger criminal group.
Police arrested two teenage drug runners at the train station on Friday night.
common compound: drug runner / gun runner
Rafael was paid in cash to act as a runner between the supplier and the city dealers.
act as a runner / work as a runner for [someone]
The gang used young runners on bicycles because the police rarely stopped them.
typical scene: low-level courier within a gang
Tendai spent a year as a cigarette runner along the border before he was caught.
- drug runner
- gun runner
- cigarette runner
- act as a runner
- work as a runner
Grammar Patterns
a runner for [a gang/dealer]
drug/gun runner
Usage Note
Almost always preceded by the type of contraband: 'drug runner', 'gun runner', 'cigarette runner'. The runner is usually a low-level worker, not the boss. Distinguish from sense 3 (a legal messenger): this sense is criminal and informal.
Common Mistakes
do a runner
idiomTo quickly leave a place to avoid paying for something or facing trouble.
The customer did a runner without paying for his meal.
Did the thief do a runner when the alarm went off?
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All five describe people who run, but they sit at different points on a scale of pace, purpose, and breadth. 'Runner' is the broad, neutral word — it covers anyone who runs, whether for fun, fitness, or competition, and is the natural choice in everyday talk ('My sister is a keen runner'). 'Jogger' is narrower and slower: someone who runs gently for exercise, never in a serious race. 'Sprinter' goes the other way — short, explosive distances on a track. 'Racer' stresses the act of competing, often in any sport, not just running. 'Athlete' is the widest term and the most formal; it covers every kind of sportsperson. So you'd say 'a marathon runner' but 'a 100-metre sprinter', and call a footballer 'an athlete' rather than 'a runner'.
Common collocations
Nouns
- drug runner
- gun runner
- marathon runner
- table runner
- stair runner
- carpet runner
- long-distance runner
Phrases
- work as a runner
- act as a runner
- send out runners
- a pair of runners
- send a runner
Prepositions
- runner for [person/group]
- runner in [a race]
- runner on [base/the stairs]
Etymology
Built straight from the verb 'run' plus the agent suffix '-er', meaning 'one who runs'. The form is recorded in English from the late 1300s for a person on foot, then widens over the centuries to label any moving thing or sliding part — a horse in a race, a smuggler, the strip a sledge glides on, the spreading stem of a strawberry plant.