to run on
38
5.0
- phrasal verb
- /rʌn ɑn/
- Informal
:
hablar sin parar
- I appreciate your enthusiasm, but please try not to run on too much when explaining your ideas.
Examples
-
Why is he running on?
-
In fact, owing to the length at which I have run on, I shall have nothing further to say.
Fiction book (1997) -
House and Senate candidates ran on the strength of their personalities and their personal organizations.
Academic text (1992) -
If I begin on O'Shea, I might run on endlessly, without ever getting that job done.
Fiction book (2001) -
While they ate, Bobby Lee ran on about girls, and Hiram sat sullenly smoking.
Fiction book (1998) -
To Widmer's point, Romney is by no means the first to run on unrealistic fiscal plans.
Blog text (6) -
He tends to run on about his favorite movies without realizing how long he has been talking.
-
During the meeting, she began to run on about details that were not relevant to the discussion.
Synonyms
∞
1.8
Continue speaking after a pause or when asked
86
2.7
To talk quickly and without stopping about unimportant things
48
5.3
To talk or write for a long time without a clear point
15
6.2
Talk for a long time in an unclear way about small unimportant things
10
6.0
Talk for a long time in a boring, flat voice
5
6.6
To talk for a long time about small boring things
3
8.4
Talk too much and say things you should not
1
7.9
To talk quickly and unclearly so others cannot understand you
1
9.9
To talk for a long time about things that do not matter
1
9.4
To talk for a long time about unimportant things
1
8.7
To talk for a long time in a noisy, excited way about small things
1
6.4
To talk so much that you stop others from speaking
To talk a lot about unimportant things
Antonyms
How Verbose
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to be powered by' is directly derivable from combining 'run' in the sense of 'operate' with the preposition 'on' indicating the source or means (e.g., runs on gasoline = operates using gasoline). This verb + preposition composition is common in English and in many other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would very likely infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Run on comes from the image of speech that keeps moving without a pause, like someone running down a road and not stopping. So, if someone runs on, they 'talk for too long' or say more than needed.