There are 183 ways you can use run in a sentence

Have you ever looked up the word run in the dictionary? Specifically in the Macquarie Dictionary Online. Go ahead; I’ll wait while you read the definitions – and wait, and wait, and wait. Still waiting.

There are 131 definitions listed! They range from the verb form “to move quickly on foot” to the noun form meaning “an act or instance of escaping” to the adjective meaning “melted or liquefied”. Those definitions don’t include the 52 other listings for the phrases using run, including “in the long run”, “run off at the mouth”, and “the runs”.

I’ve never seen any other word with so many definitions and phrases.

My point here — other than there are 183 ways you can use run in a sentence — is to stress the importance of dictionaries. And to remind you to research the words you’re using.

Language is constantly in flux and a word’s meaning may change. You may discover you’ve been using a word incorrectly or be pleasantly surprised to find a new definition.

You could also discover there are dozens of meanings for a word — although I doubt you’ll run into another doozy like run.

Wendy Wood
Proofreader

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