18 Idiomatic Expressions with RUN

18 Idiomatic Expressions with RUN (with Clear Meanings & Natural Examples)

Hello, English learners 👋 Welcome back! Today we’re looking at 18 very common idiomatic expressions with run. Native speakers use these all the time—especially in conversations about work, health, time, and everyday life. If you’re aiming for confident B2–C1 English, these are well worth learning.

Let’s take them one by one, with plain-English explanations and natural example sentences.

Run a fever

Meaning: to have a high body temperature because of illness.

• Violet started to run a fever last night, so she stayed home from work.
• If you run a fever for several days, you should see a doctor.

Run amok

Meaning: to behave in a wild, uncontrolled, or chaotic way.

• The kids ran amok in the playground after school.
• Things ran amok once the manager left early.

Run a risk

Meaning: to do something that could lead to danger or problems.

• If you ignore the rules, you run a risk of getting fined.
• He knew he was running a risk by investing all his savings.

Run a tight ship

Meaning: to manage something in a very organised and disciplined way.

• She runs a tight ship—everything is done on time.
• That restaurant runs a tight ship, and it shows in the service.

Run dry

Meaning: to be used up or to become unavailable.

• His ideas ran dry halfway through the article.
• The well ran dry during the prolonged drought.

Run errands

Meaning: to go out and do small jobs or tasks.

• I need to run a few errands before lunch.
• She spent the morning running errands around town.

Run interference

Meaning: to prevent problems by distracting or blocking others.

• Her assistant ran interference so she could finish the report.
• Security ran interference to keep reporters away.

Run in the family

Meaning: to be common among family members.

• Musical talent runs in the family.
• Diabetes runs in his family, so he’s careful with his diet.

Run into trouble

Meaning: to suddenly experience problems.

• They ran into trouble when their flight was cancelled.
• The project ran into trouble due to poor planning.

Run like clockwork

Meaning: to work perfectly and smoothly.

• The whole event ran like clockwork.
• Once the system was fixed, everything ran like clockwork.

Run off at the mouth

Meaning: to talk too much, often without thinking.

• He tends to run off at the mouth when he’s nervous.
• She ran off at the mouth and revealed the surprise.

Run-of-the-mill

Meaning: ordinary; not special or impressive.

• It was a run-of-the-mill presentation.
• The film was entertaining but fairly run-of-the-mill.

Run out of steam

Meaning: to lose energy or enthusiasm.

• The team ran out of steam near the end of the project.
• After a strong start, the campaign ran out of steam.

Run out of time

Meaning: to have no time left to finish something.

• I ran out of time in the exam.
• They ran out of time before they could fix the final details.

Run the gauntlet

Meaning: to face a series of complex challenges or criticism.

• She ran the gauntlet of tough interviews.
• The proposal had to run the gauntlet of public opinion.

Run the numbers

Meaning: to calculate or analyse figures.

• Let’s run the numbers before we decide.
• The accountant ran the numbers twice to be sure.

Run the show

Meaning: to be in control or in charge.

• She runs the show in that department.
• Who’s running the show while the boss is away?

Run wild

Meaning: to behave freely or without control; also used with imagination.

• The children ran wild in the park.
• Let your imagination run wild.

Final tip for learners

Try learning idiomatic expressions with RUN in short sentences, not as a list. Even better—challenge yourself to write one short paragraph using two or three of them. That’s how idioms really stick.

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