RAN DOWN Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

ran down

verb

past tense of run down

as in found

to come upon after searching, study, or effort finally ran down the answer after hours of research

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dismissed

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 ran down Vertical stripes ran down much of the dress before shifting direction along the hem. — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Bleday also hit a deep drive that Arizona center fielder Ryan Waldschmidt ran down at the wall in the seventh and struck out in the ninth The 28-year-old left fielder topped his career high with the homer, his 21st of the season. — ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026 The land, most of it operated by the Peconic Land Trust to ensure it’s never developed, ran down to the bay, and there were hiking paths running through the entire property. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 21 Aug. 2026 Moments after the family left in a vehicle, six police officers ran down the street as a heavy law enforcement presence descended on downtown Las Vegas following reports of gunfire. — Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026 In one instance, a witness said Redway arrived at practice wearing a cassock, ran down the aisle, and exited the church. — Ted Scouten, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026 Maria, 32, grabbed her phone and ran down the stairs barefoot. — Philip Wang, Time, 29 June 2026 Everyone inside the building ran down the emergency stairs. — Will Clark, NBC news, 26 June 2026 Byron Buxton scorched a double into the gap that Andy Pages ran down and, without stopping, whipped back to Betts as the cutoff man. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 24 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ran down

Verb

The company was founded in Atlanta by Georgia Tech students, and is still headquartered in the city.

— Irene Wright, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
Candle True Stories is part of Candle Media, the media holding company co-founded by former Disney execs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of found

Verb

Lessons learned The research shows how transformative infrastructure investments can be, according to Edward Miguel, a development economist at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not part of the research team.

— Fatma Tanis, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
Authorities learned Kreuzer had previously been arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, domestic violence and leading law enforcement officers on a vehicle pursuit.

— Daniel Hunt August 29, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of learned

Verb

In this location, the telescope will rarely be blocked by Earth and infrared heat from the Earth, sun and moon is minimized.

— Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
States alleged that Meta’s internal research documented links between Instagram use and harms including depression, anxiety and body-image concerns among young people, while the company publicly minimized or concealed those risks.

— Carolina Rossini, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of minimized

Verb

Multiple playable pre-release versions of Portal 2 contain some of the most intriguing cut content discovered so far.

— Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 30 Aug. 2026
For decades, an attacker discovered a vulnerability, a security tool generated an alert, an analyst investigated it, the issue was escalated and eventually someone decided what to do.

— Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of discovered

Verb

While the Anaheim Ducks, located a stone’s throw from Angel Stadium, are in the midst of a massive refurbishment project, the area surrounding the baseball stadium is largely dormant.

— Sam Blum, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
He was located in Indiana, where he is being held pending extradiction, the release said.

— Elgin Courier-News, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of located

Verb

Inside one, the individual is both multiplied and diminished.

— Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
The persuasiveness of these efforts, however, is diminished when a WRO is modified without transparency and despite readily accessible evidence indicating that conditions for the workers have not truly improved.

— Charity Ryerson, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of diminished

Browse Nearby Words

randomness

ran down

randy

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ran down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ran%20down. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ran down

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

apiary

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes