run

To make an animal such as a horse or dog take part in a race.

• enter

  more general; can be used for people or animals registering for a race

To travel to a place at a fast pace, using any means of movement, especially when time is short.

• hurry

  suggests moving quickly due to time pressure, without implying a specific method

• rush

  stronger sense of urgency; can feel more informal

• amble

  moving at a slow, relaxed pace

To run away quickly from a dangerous person, animal, or situation in order to avoid harm.

• flee

  more formal; suggests escaping from a serious threat

• escape

  focuses on the successful outcome of getting away

• approach

  moving toward someone or something, the opposite of running away

To make the leg motions of running while the body stays in the same place, usually on a machine or as an exercise.

• jog on the spot

  a lighter, less intense version of the same action

To advance the ball by running with it toward the opposite end zone in American football.

• carry the ball

  a more literal description of the same action

• pass

  the alternative action of throwing the ball instead of running with it

to go along a fixed way between two points — used for buses, trains, roads, pipes, cables, and other things that stretch across or travel on a set path.

• travel

  broader; 'travel' works for any journey, while 'run' is specific to fixed routes

• stretch

  used for roads, paths, fences extending over an area; more static than 'run'

• go

  more general and informal; 'The bus goes from here to the market'

to work or operate correctly — used for machines, engines, computers, software, and other devices that perform their intended function.

• operate

  more formal; 'operate a machine' sounds technical

• work

  intransitive only; 'the machine works' but not 'I worked the machine' in this sense

• go

  informal; 'the lawnmower won't go'

to have the main responsibility for a business, organization, or activity — deciding how it works and guiding its direction.

• manage

  more formal; 'manage a business' implies more structured oversight

• operate

  similar formality to 'manage'; common in business writing

• direct

  more formal; often used for larger organizations or artistic projects

to control an organization, situation, or group of people in a strict and exact way, with close attention to rules, timing, and quality.

• control strictly

  more explicit about the level of control

• oversee firmly

  more formal; used in professional contexts

• manage tightly

  combines the idea of management with strictness

to have and use a car or other vehicle, covering all the expenses it needs — like fuel, repairs, insurance, and taxes.

• keep a car

  similar meaning, slightly less common

• own and maintain (a vehicle)

  more formal and explanatory

to organize and manage your daily life, household, or personal work in a particular way — for example, arranging schedules, budgets, and routines.

• organize

  more general; 'organize your life' covers planning without the sense of ongoing operation

• manage (your time/life)

  overlaps in meaning; 'manage' sounds slightly more formal

• arrange

  focuses on planning rather than the ongoing routine

When a liquid runs, it moves from one place to another on its own. If you run a liquid, you cause it to move, for example by turning on a tap.

• flow

  more general; cannot be used transitively for causing liquid to move

• stream

  suggests a narrow, steady movement; less common for taps or bodily fluids

• pour

  implies a larger volume or deliberate action

• stop

  used for both the liquid itself and the action of causing flow

When dye in a garment leaves the fabric during washing and spreads onto surrounding items or other parts of the same item, the colour is said to run.

• bleed

  slightly more technical; common on care labels ('colours may bleed')

• spread

  more general; less specific to laundry contexts

To reach or be in a particular state or condition — for example, a river running dry, supplies running low, or feelings running deep. Often describes undesirable or extreme changes.

• become

  general-purpose; less specific to gradual or undesirable changes

• grow

  slightly more literary; used with adjectives like 'cold', 'dark', 'impatient'

When a pair of tights or stockings develops a thin vertical line of broken threads because the fabric has been caught or stretched too much, the garment is said to have run.

• ladder

  British English equivalent; both verb and noun

• snag

  a single pulled thread, not a long vertical line

To publish or broadcast something such as a news story, article, photograph, or advertisement in a newspaper, magazine, or on television.

• publish

  more formal; broader — includes books, reports, and academic work

• print

  specific to newspapers and magazines; less common for TV

• air

  specific to television and radio broadcasts

To be published or broadcast in newspapers, magazines, or on television — used when the content itself is the subject of the sentence.

• appear

  more general and widely used across all media contexts

• be featured

  suggests prominence or special treatment; more formal

(of a film, play, or television programme) to be shown or performed at a particular venue so that people can go and watch it.

• play

  used mainly for theatre performances rather than films

• screen

  transitive verb — the cinema screens the film, not the film screens

• show

  more general; can be used for TV, cinema, or live events

to try to win a public political office by asking voters to choose you in an election where ballots are cast.

• stand for

  British English equivalent; less common in American English

• campaign for

  emphasizes the active effort to get votes rather than just being a candidate

to suggest and actively support someone's name as a candidate in an election, especially by a political party or group.

• nominate

  more formal; focuses on the act of proposing a name

• field

  when a party officially enters a candidate in a race

to try to get a particular role or position within a group, committee, or organization, whether by a vote of members or by an appointment process.

• stand for

  British English equivalent

• contest

  more formal; often used in British English for competing for a seat

to secretly move weapons, drugs, or other illegal goods across borders or between countries, often as part of criminal trade.

• smuggle

  standard, neutral term; can be used for any illegal transport

• traffic

  usually implies large-scale, organized criminal trade

to have a particular price; to be sold for a stated amount of money, often when that amount is quite high.

• cost

  neutral, standard; can be used for any price

• go for

  similar informal register; 'The tickets went for $200 each'

to provide a service, an item, or help to someone by making it available or doing it for them

• provide

  more formal; requires a different sentence structure

• get

  less specific; can mean obtain, not just supply

to stay in operation, remain usable, or keep happening for a specific length of time

• last

  more general; used for any duration, not just scheduled periods

• continue

  emphasises ongoing action rather than a fixed duration

to perform a scientific, medical, or technical procedure that follows a set plan

• conduct

  more formal; common in academic writing

• perform

  more formal; used for medical procedures and experiments

a journey taken in a vehicle, especially one made regularly or along a fixed route.

• trip

  a general term for any journey, not necessarily by a regular route

• route

  focuses on the path taken, not the act of travelling it

a continuous series of performances of a play, film, or show in one place over a period of time.

• season

  often refers to a planned series of performances over a specific period, usually a few months

• engagement

  a more formal term for a booked series of performances

a situation where many people suddenly try to buy the same product or service at once, causing a period of very strong demand.

• rush

  a more general term for sudden demand, not limited to financial contexts

• stampede

  a dramatic, uncontrolled rush, often used figuratively

a situation where many people quickly sell a particular investment or asset, usually because they fear its value will drop.

• sell-off

  a period of heavy selling, but 'sell-off' is a noun compound rather than 'run on + object'

• buying spree

  the opposite situation — a rush to purchase

a stretch of time in which the same kind of event or condition keeps happening without a break.

• sequence

  a set of items in order, not necessarily continuous in time

• streak

  usually refers to an unbroken series of wins, losses, or luck — more informal

• stretch

  emphasises a period of time rather than the events within it

a quick sequence of musical notes moving step by step up or down within a musical scale, performed rapidly as a connected series

• scale passage

  more formal, used in classical music writing

• flourish

  suggests a decorative, showy run, often improvised

the usual or standard kind of something, rather than a special, unusual, or high-quality version of it

• average

  more common in everyday speech; 'run' is slightly more formal

• standard

  emphasises a normal expected level rather than the typical type

• ordinary

  adjective form; 'run' is the noun equivalent in this fixed phrase

• exception

  something that stands out from the ordinary type

a fenced outdoor space where farm animals such as chickens, sheep, or pigs are kept and allowed to move around

• enclosure

  broader term; a run is one type of enclosure

• pen

  usually smaller and more enclosed than a run

• paddock

  larger field for horses or cattle, not for chickens

a point earned in baseball or cricket when a player successfully reaches a scoring area after running around the field

• point

  general term; 'run' is the specific term in baseball and cricket

a long, narrow tear in knitted clothing such as stockings or tights, caused when a single stitch breaks and the stitches above it come undone

• ladder

  equivalent term in British English; 'run' is also understood

• snag

  a small catch that may or may not develop into a run

a common stomach problem in which a person has to go to the toilet very often with watery waste, sometimes informally called 'the runs'

• diarrhoea

  the formal medical term; 'the runs' is informal but far more common in casual speech

An event in which people compete by running a set distance, often organised for charity or as a community activity.

• race

  a broader term that can include vehicle or animal competitions

• sprint

  specifically a short, fast run over a brief distance

• dash

  informal; a very short race run at top speed

The freedom to move anywhere inside a building, area, or system without being blocked or stopped.

• access

  broader; can mean permission to enter rather than full freedom within

• freedom

  more general; does not specify movement within a particular place

A narrow flow of water that moves naturally over land, smaller than a river.

• stream

  the most common general term for a small flow of water

• brook

  even smaller than a stream; often used in literary contexts

• creek

  common in American English and Australian English for a small stream

In American football, an offensive move in which the player carrying the ball runs forward to gain ground past the opposing team's defence.

• rushing play

  the formal American football term for any running offensive move

• ground game

  refers to the overall running strategy of a team rather than a single play

• pass

  an offensive play in which the ball is thrown instead of carried