The Phrasal Verb 'Run Down' Explained
- Phrasal Verbs Explained
- 3 days ago
- 12 min read
An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'run down' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context
Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native.
This post is all about the phrasal verb 'run down' and its different uses and meanings in English. In it, I will explain 5 different ways that it can be used by native speakers, ranging from being used in a literal sense to finding something that you have spent a long time looking for. As per usual, I will provide you with lots of example sentences for each application so that you can impress your friends and colleagues with your superb phrasal verb skills! So, without further ado, let's make a start....
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one)
I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 |
THE BASICS
RUN DOWN: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Medium |
Number of meanings | 5 |
Past tense forms | Ran down / Run down |
Separable? | Sometimes |
How well do you know the words 'run' and 'down' on their own? Before we dive into the meanings of the phrasal verb 'run down', let's first just briefly consider the meaning of its two component words and what they bring to the phrasal verbs that they appear in....
Run - The verb 'to run' is one that you will surely have used many times in your English conversations. Its most well-known meaning is 'to move on your feet at a speed that is faster than walking' and is something that I try and do several times a week to stay fit. We do not just use it for this though and it can also be used to mean 'to flow' when talking about a liquid like water, 'to operate' when talking about a machine and 'to manage' when talking about a business. As with most of the commonest verbs in English, it is irregular.
I run 10km at least once a week to keep fit.
John heard someone running through his garden at 4am this morning.
The water from the flood ran along the street.
We need to get this machine running again as we are losing money.
Sarah runs a cosmetics business.
Down - You will surely all know the prepositional particle 'down' and that its primary function is to talk about a movement in a downwards direction or a decrease. These ideas can be carried across into phrasal verbs like 'go down' or 'fall down', however in addition to this, 'down' can introduce a number of other ideas and concepts into a phrasal verb. These include reduction (slow down), defeat (take down), control (hold down) and recording information (write down).
So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'run down'....
MEANING 1: Literal
CEFR Language Level | A2 - Elementary |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To flow down |
Separable? | No |
Our first one application of 'run down' is not technically a phrasal verb meaning as it is just the literal meaning of the two words combined but I wanted to include it on here to help you to recognise it and distinguish it from its other meanings.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
|
Literally, when we combine these two words we get the idea of running (moving faster than walking) in a downwards direction. This may be down a slope, a hill or it may be down some steps from a high position to a lower one.
The elevator wasn't working, so I ran down the stairs.
The surfers decided to run down the sand dune and into the sea.
The cows began to run down the steep hill when the storm approached.
The hikers were forced to run down the side of the embankment to reach the stream.
The thief jumped off the ledge and managed to run down the slanted roof before falling to the ground.
You should know that English speakers (confusingly) also use the words 'up' and 'down' to talk about a movement along something, especially a street or a road, when there is no upward or downward movement at all. For example, you could say that you "walked up a road" or "walked down a road" and in both cases 'up' and 'down' mean the same thing; it is a purely metaphorical usage because there is often no elevation involved. We just do it some reason 🤷
The athlete decided to run down to the end of the field.
I saw you the other day running down the road past the museum.
As I mentioned in the Basics section earlier, we can also use the verb 'to run' to talk about a liquid that flows like water. In a literal sense, we can therefore use 'run down' to talk about when a liquid moves in a downward direction from a higher place to a lower one. Of course, it is equally possible to use this application with the metaphorical 'down' that we just talked about too.
Tears began to run down Sarah's cheeks.
The water just ran down to the bottom of the hill, taking everything in its path with it.
Blood was running down Peter's leg.
Without proper gutters, rainwater will run down the side of the house.
Water was running down the street when the drains were blocked.
MEANING 2: To hit somebody with a vehicle
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To run over, to hit, to knock down, to knock over |
Separable? | Yes |
The second of our applications of 'run down' is the first proper phrasal verb meaning and means to 'to hit somebody with a vehicle'.
To explain further, we can use this application of 'run down' to describe whenever a car, bicycle, van, bus etc. collides with a person or animal on the road, usually knocking them to the ground. When 'run down' is used in this sense, we cannot directly infer if the victim was killed, injured or was ok and this typically comes with extra information from the speaker.
ISN'T 'RUN DOWN' THE SAME AS 'RUN OVER'?
Some of you reading this may be familiar with the phrasal verb 'run over', which can also be used to mean the same thing, however there are some subtle differences to be aware of.....
Firstly, 'run over' to is more common than 'run down' when talking about hitting someone with a vehicle
Secondly whilst both are used to mean to be hit by a vehicle, 'run over' carries the idea that the vehicle hit and drove over the unlucky person, while 'run down' implies more that they were just knocked to the ground in the collision.
Lastly, 'run down' can be used when a driver intentionally hits someone with a car and it is often associated with careless or irresponsible driving, whilst 'run over' does not usually carry this concept of a deliberate action.
The police say a motorcyclist has run down a pedestrian on the crossing.
The truck ran down a cyclist at the J1 intersection.
By the time they called the police, the driver had already run down three people.
Sue was reversing and almost ran down a child that was running behind the car.
Leon might run someone down if he keeps texting while driving.
Karen would have run Terry down if he hadn’t jumped out of the way at the last minute.
As with 'run over', it is also common to use 'run down' in the passive voice to talk about the victim of this type of incident, especially when we don't know who the driver was. When doing this, we can use either the auxiliary verbs 'to be' or 'to get'.
Unfortunately, a woman was run down outside the supermarket yesterday.
Several cyclists have been run down in that area already this year.
Phil was distracted and nearly got run down when crossing the street.
MEANING 3: To gradually reduce something
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Mainly British English |
Potential synonyms | To use up, to reduce, to wear down |
Separable? | Yes |
The third and middle meaning of 'run down' that we will cover means 'to gradually reduce something' and can be used to talk about both a reduction in the quantity and the quality of something.
When we run something down, we simply use something and do not refill, replenish or repair it, therefore allowing the number or quality of it to decrease. On a grammatical level, when we do this, we are using the verb transitively (with a direct object) and it is separable.
You should note that we can also use 'run down' in an intransitive way (without a direct object) to describe when something gets lower or reduces through usage over time and in these instances, 'run down' is not separable.
There are several key sub-applications that we have with this meaning and so, to make this easier to explain and for you to understand, let's consider the different ones....
Batteries - For many people, a nightmare scenario is when the battery symbol on their cellphone goes from 🔋 to 🪫. In other words, the power in their battery decreases to empty or 'runs down'. This doesn't just have to the battery on a cellphone however and it can be applied to anything with a battery or level that reduces with usage.
My phone's battery ran down completely during the concert.
If you leave your car headlights on overnight, you will quickly run down the battery.
Continuous video streaming can run the battery down very quickly.
Business - It is also possible for someone to run a business or organisation down, meaning that they reduce its size, importance or stock levels. There are many reasons why this may happen, which range from bad management or mistakes causing it to happen, to more intentional reasons like the business is closing. Note that this usage is almost always used in the transitive sense and therefore takes a direct object and is separable.
The management's plan is to run the old factory down over the next two years and move production overseas.
The company had been running down for a long time before it finally went bankrupt.
Instead of investing in new products, the survey revealed that many firms were simply running down their existing stock.
The new owners acquired the rival company only to deliberately run its operations down.
This government has systematically run down public services since it took office 3 years ago.
The property business could be sold or run down, depending on market conditions.
Quality - It is also possible to use 'run down' to describe when the quality or condition of something gets worse. Most frequently, this is heard in relation to areas and places like cities and districts within them. It is not heard so often in this way, however the adjectival form 'run-down' that comes from it is and we will look at that at the end of the post.
The landlord let the apartment building run down because he didn't want to pay for maintenance.
After the original owner passed away, the once-beautiful estate was allowed to completely run down.
The government was accused of deliberately letting the railway network run down before they sold it off.
You shouldn’t run your car down like that; regular oil changes are important.
MEANING 4: To criticise someone unfairly
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To criticise, to denigrate, to disparage, to put down |
Separable? | Yes |
Let's now move on to our fourth meaning of 'run down', which is to criticise someone or something unfairly.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
|
If you are a person who creates things for people to use and enjoy, criticism is unavoidable. Sometimes this can be good in the sense of constructive criticism, sometimes this can be bad and sometimes it can be unfairly bad. In this third case, when a person or something is criticised negatively in a way that is unkind or too strong, we can use this application of 'run down'.
Note that we can use this application for anything that can be criticised, including people, companies or organisations and work.
Consider the following scenario in which 'run down' could be used....
During a staff meeting, a colleague of mine kept criticising my work, saying that it looked “unprofessional,” even though it was perfectly good. His comments weren’t helpful and not true; he just wanted to make her look bad.
In this situation, we could say that person's colleagues was purposely trying to run their work down, even though there was nothing wrong with it.
On a grammatical note, this usage is also separable and the person or thing being 'run down' can go between 'run' and 'down' or after it. The only exception here is if it is a pronoun (me, him etc), in which case it must go between and not after.
Lisa always runs other people down to make herself feel superior.
Don’t run me down just because I have a different opinion to yours.
Bill ran Carmen down in front of everyone instead of giving constructive feedback.
They keep running that company down even though they know nothing about it.
I hate it when people run others down for trying something new.
Megan felt hurt because her friends ran her down over her outfit.
Stop running his ideas down; at least he’s contributing, which is more than you!
You shouldn’t run yourself down; you’ve done a wonderful job.
MEANING 5: To find someone or something
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Rare |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To find, to locate, to hunt down, to track down |
Separable? | Yes |
We have now come to our fifth and final meaning of the phrasal verb 'run down', which is a rare one and means 'to find someone or something, typically after a long search'.
To give you more clarity with this, we typically use 'run down' in this sense when we have spent a long period of time looking for, tracking or even hunting something and we eventually locate it.
We can use this application to describe two things: to physically chase or search for someone until they are caught and to find someone through a process of enquiry and information seeking rather than physically running after them.
The detective managed to run down the crucial witness after a month of searching for him.
The police finally ran down the criminal in a nearby alley.
It has taken me all morning to run that specific report down in the archives.
The hounds were able to run down their prey after a three-hour chase.
THE ADJECTIVE RUN-DOWN
So now that you have read all of the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'run down', you should now have excellent knowledge of it, however to truly become an expert in all things to do with 'run down', you should also be aware of the following adjectival uses....
The most common way to use 'run-down' as an adjective is in reference to the condition of something and this is typically to talk about an area of a city (or sometimes an entire city). If an area of a city is very poor with little investment, high crime and poverty, you can say that it is 'run-down'.
They lived in a run-down neighbourhood near the old train tracks.
The park has become run-down after years of neglect.
The town centre looks run-down compared to how it used to be.
Likewise, if you do not look after your physical health properly, do not eat well, sleep enough and rest, you may be prone to more illnesses and infections than if you were healthy. In these situations, you can say that you are 'run-down' or feeling 'run-down'.
Jo’s been working too much lately and looks really run-down.
After the flu, Shaun felt weak and run-down for weeks.
A good night’s sleep should help you feel less run-down tomorrow.
Lastly, you can also use 'run-down' to describe something that has been allowed to almost be reduced to nothing like a phone battery or stock levels in a business.
My car has a run-down battery and the nearest town is 50km away.
The run-down stocks will be an issue if the next shipment is delayed.
We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'run down'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts.
Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'run down'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!!
Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published.
Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊
THE END
😘
So useful! I never miss one of James'posts!
Even though, I'm not good at English, I think this was a very useful and important matter to be learnt for me. I think Verb Phrases are my very weak point in my use of English, I hope to learn them well to start using them in a proper way.
Thank you very much for your explanations. See you in the next lesson.