running down

verb

present participle of run down
1
as in finding
to come upon after searching, study, or effort finally ran down the answer after hours of research

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dismissing
to express scornfully one's low opinion of constantly running down the city's cultural life won't do anything to improve it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of running down Ron stops and stares ahead, dumbfounded, with a man’s shirt in his hand and blood running down his face. — Barry Levitt, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Fittingly, the style comes in three colorways including Zebra Soapstone, a tan take on the trendy animal print, and Gilded Umber, a rich, chocolate brown adorned with gold-tone grommets running down each outer seam. — Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 Two white stripes running down the sides of each leg create a casual look that’s effortlessly chic and pairs well with just about any shoes in your suitcase. — Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 5 Aug. 2026 For four years now, Metro light rail trains have been running down the center of Crenshaw Boulevard, and for just as long, residents say a major promise has been broken. — Lauren Pozen, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026 Not Bone, But Nerve That something is the ulnar nerve, one of the three major nerves running down the arm. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 According to documents from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, 44-year-old David Crosby II was running down a hallway where a group of three kids was playing tag on the Carnival Glory on July 26. — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 31 July 2026 The denim pants were paired with a coordinated top in the same colorway and material, featuring silver buttons running down the front placket. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 29 July 2026 As Caitlin Clark tried to steal the ball from Reese, Malonga came running down the paint. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for running down
  1. finding
  2. dismissing
  3. learning
  4. minimizing
  5. discovering
  6. talking down
  7. locating
  8. diminishing
Verb
  • His best option was finding a living donor for a kidney transplant.
    — Joe Donlon, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The Shelton of 2025 who scrapped out wins by scrambling along the baseline and finding a way has evolved into a more assertive player.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of finding
Verb
  • In the filing, the Justice Department urged the appeals court to reverse the Tennessee federal judge’s ruling dismissing criminal charges against Abrego Garcia.
    — Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The book resuscitates the childhood feeling that most of us spend our lives tamping down and dismissing, if not completely extinguishing.
    — Chris Ware, The New York Review of Books, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissing
Verb
  • And staying socially and mentally engaged by participating in hobbies, learning new skills, and maintaining relationships with family and friends are all ways to keep the body and brain active.
    — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The courses, Cristerna said, would have been useful in learning how to negotiate brand deals, maximize monetization opportunities and cultivate and keep an audience.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of learning
Verb
  • The blades fold inward, flat alongside the main generator housing, minimizing the risk of losing small components in the backcountry.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The advantages of virtual trading extend beyond simply minimizing financial risk.
    — Michael Martin, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of minimizing
Verb
  • Upon discovering the tagging, staff staff and equipment were mobilized to remove the markings from the municipal sidewalks through cleaning and power washing, the statement says.
    — Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Upon discovering that a nurse at the clinic was stealing vast amounts of fentanyl, Gabby seeks out other victims and leads a groundbreaking legal battle against Yale University.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of discovering
Verb
  • The Malheur standoff also drew in the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, which Northern California sheriffs credited for talking down the Henrichsens and ending last month’s kidnapping without bloodshed.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • In a daring high-wire act high above the East River, fearless NYPD cops spent nearly an hour on a span of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge talking down a woman desperately threatening to jump.
    — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 July 2026
Definition of talking down
Verb
  • The Olathe Police Department is seeking public assistance in locating a missing man who was last seen walking along 123rd Street Monday.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The Gwinnett County Police Department is asking for the public's assistance in locating 17-year-old Deaniyka Body, who jumped from a moving vehicle that was transporting her only two weeks ago, police say.
    — CBS News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of locating
Verb
  • Several Gulf countries have already announced plans to expand or build new pipeline capacity to evade the Strait of Hormuz, likely diminishing its importance as a chokepoint within several years.
    — Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But each step up the sanctions ladder brings greater diplomatic costs — and diminishing certainty that additional economic damage will translate into political concessions.
    — Magdalena Del Valle, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of diminishing

Browse Nearby Words

running dogs
running down
running hand
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Cite this Entry

“Running down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/running%20down. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on running down

Nglish: Translation of running down for Spanish Speakers

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