What does "runner" mean?
Agent noun of run; one who runs.; A person who moves, on foot, at a fast pace, especially an athlete.
Runner
/ˈɹʌnɚ/ name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Agent noun of run; one who runs.; A person who moves, on foot, at a fast pace, especially an athlete.
- Grammar: runner is listed as name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: agent, appendage, arm, ball carrier.
- Useful contrasts: fullback, hopper, punter.
- Usage evidence: The first baseman tagged the runner out.
How to use "runner"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "runner" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "runner" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "runner" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "runner" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "runner" is acting as name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "agent" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "runner", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; A person who moves, on foot, at a fast pace, especially an athlete.
"The first runner to cross the finish line wins the race."
- 2 Short for Bow Street Runner abbreviation, alt-of
- 3 fish of western Atlantic: Cape Cod to Brazil wordnet
- 4 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; Any entrant, person or animal (especially a horse), for a race or any competition; a candidate for an election.
"The mare is the stables' runner for the 5.15 race at Epsom."
- 5 device consisting of the parts on which something can slide along wordnet
Show 48 more definitions
- 6 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; A competitor in a poker tournament. slang
- 7 a long narrow carpet wordnet
- 8 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; Somebody who controls or manages (e.g. a system).
"[…] at least half of which would be put into the pool for the winner, the rest kept for the runners of the system to cover costs and more than likely make a fair profit."
- 9 (football) the player who is carrying (and trying to advance) the ball on an offensive play wordnet
- 10 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; A person or vessel that runs blockades or engages in smuggling. in-compounds
"The gunrunners were arrested leaving the airport."
- 11 a baseball player on the team at bat who is on base (or attempting to reach a base) wordnet
- 12 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; A player who runs for a batsman who is too injured to run; he is dressed exactly as the injured batsman, and carries a bat.
- 13 a person who is employed to deliver messages or documents wordnet
- 14 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; A baserunner.
"The runner was out at second."
- 15 someone who travels on foot by running wordnet
- 16 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; A person (from one or the other team) who runs out onto the field during the game to take verbal instructions from the coach to the players. A runner mustn't interfere with play, and may have to wear an identifying shirt to make clear his or her purpose on the field.
- 17 a trained athlete who competes in foot races wordnet
- 18 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; Anyone sent on an errand or with communications, especially for a bank (or, historically, a foot soldier responsible for carrying messages during war).
"By 1963, Carmine was working as a "runner" for an accounting firm, and he would drop by 1619 Broadway to knock on doors in hopes of selling off some of his songs"
- 19 someone who imports or exports without paying duties wordnet
- 20 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; A restaurant employee responsible for taking food from the kitchens to the tables.
"“Then you divide your army amongst the various houses where restorations are ordered for Jubilee day?” / “Certainly—say one waiter to ten guests—if it was a dinner we should send one waiter to six guests—with runners, of course.” / “Runners?” / “Omnibuses you call them here—young ones—apprentices—who wait on the waiters.” / “Run everywhere, do anything?”"
- 21 a horizontal branch from the base of plant that produces new plants from buds at its tips wordnet
- 22 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; A trusty (prisoner granted special privileges). US, dated
"In our prisons you might find a condemned man working as a runner, a trusty, which is about as far from segregation as you can get."
- 23 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; An employee of a sports agent who tries to recruit possible player clients for the agent. slang
"This week hundreds of NFL agents gathered to hear an honorable man talk about a noble pipedream. It was a discussion about a significant step to end one of the cornerstones of corruption in college football: runners. Not the backs getting their 40 times tested at the scouting combine but the slimeball trolls who work on behalf of agents to help recruit — a generous word — football prospects by illegally giving them cash (or cars or money for family members or rent for a nice house) so the player then signs with the agent upon turning pro."
- 24 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; A person hired by a gambling establishment to locate potential customers and bring them in.
- 25 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; One who runs away; a deserter or escapee.
- 26 Agent noun of run; one who runs.; An assistant.
- 27 A quick escape away from a scene; (by extension) the person who gets away. slang
"He did a runner after robbing the drugstore."
- 28 A type of soft-soled shoe originally intended for runners. Australia, Canada, Ireland, Scotland
"Tess stands by Mr Foley in runners that are bright yellow and exuberant and off-putting."
- 29 Part of a shoe that is stitched to the bottom of the upper so it can be glued to the sole.
- 30 A part of an apparatus that moves quickly.
"After the cycle completes, the runner travels back quickly to be in place for the next cycle."
- 31 A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding).; A smooth strip on which a sledge runs.
- 32 A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding).; The blade of an ice skate.
- 33 A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding).; The channel or strip on which a drawer is opened and closed.
- 34 A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding).; Part of a mechanism which allows something to be pulled out for maintenance.
"Maintenance was simplified by making all components easily accessible and easy to remove: for example, the air compressors in the short nose slide out on runners."
- 35 A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding).; The curved base of a rocking chair.
- 36 A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding).; In saddlery, a loop of metal through which a rein is passed.
- 37 A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding).; In molding, a channel cut in a mold.
- 38 A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding).; The rotating-stone of a grinding-mill.
- 39 A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding).; The movable piece to which the ribs of an umbrella are attached.
- 40 A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding).; A tool in which lenses are fastened for polishing.
- 41 An automobile; a working or driveable automobile. slang
"The car salesman told me that the used Volvo was a nice little runner."
- 42 A strip of fabric used to decorate or protect a table or dressing table.
"The red runner makes the table so festive."
- 43 A long, narrow carpet for a high-traffic area such as a hall or stairs.
"Why don't we put down a clear runner in the front hall?"
- 44 A part of a cigarette that is burning unevenly. slang
- 45 A long stolon sent out by a plant (such as strawberry), in order to root new plantlets, or a plant that propagates by using such runners.
- 46 A short sling with a carabiner on either end, used to link the climbing rope to a bolt or other protection such as a nut or friend.
- 47 A leaping food fish (Elagatis pinnulatis) of Florida and the West Indies; the skipjack, shoemaker, or yellowtail.
- 48 A rope to increase the power of a tackle.
- 49 A speedrunner.
- 50 An idea or plan that has potential to be adopted or put into operation.
"This idea isn't a runner. Let's not waste any more time on it."
- 51 A running gag.
"Don’t Look Up jabs around omnidirectionally, and some of the most gleefully ridiculous jokes land: There’s an inspired runner about an increasingly scandal-plagued Supreme Court nominee, for example, and another in which politicians and voters alike absurdly declare their allegiance to “the jobs the comet will bring.”"
- 52 A streamlet.
"A runner, or streamlet, from other woods joined it at this end, and waited in the pool to pass through the grating to the mills."
- 53 A boat for transporting fish, oysters, etc.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The first baseman tagged the runner out."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "runner"?
Common synonyms include: agent, appendage, arm, ball carrier, base runner, bine.
How do you use "runner" in a sentence?
The first baseman tagged the runner out.
How do you pronounce "runner"?
Pronounced /ˈɹʌnɚ/.
Etymology
From Middle English rennere, rynner, urnare, equivalent to run + -er. Cognate with Old Norse rennari (“runner; messenger”). Displaced earlier Middle English runel (“runner”), from Old English rynel (“runner”; also “messenger, courier”).