to run by
- phrasal verb
- - A jogger ran by this morning.
If anyone happens to see a common field mouse run by in a hot pink sweater, please disregard.
- If anyone happens to see a common field mouse run by in a hot pink sweater, please disregard.
Examples
-
Rev knew of another mission, higher up on the hills, run by a young priest.
Fiction book (2002) -
A man just ran by me with a gun.
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I used to see her run by the window where I worked.
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I mean, we saw a bear run by us at the apartment yesterday.
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- Like there was a few of them hiding back there in the bushes when we ran by.
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Just as Plaid Sportcoat is reaching for the handle, Lloyd runs by and grabs it.
Fiction book (1994) -
An engine started... there was vibration… engine moan... shunting movement... fuel smoke... and I tried to keep my balance as it jerked, lurched forward and we all squashed... a sea of us... so tight together now, as the world ran by us.
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During my morning walk, a child ran by me, chasing after a butterfly.
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As I waited at the bus stop, I noticed a dog run by in pursuit of a squirrel.
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While jogging in the park, I saw several runners run by at a brisk pace.
Synonyms
Go past someone or something without stopping
To move past someone or something
Move past someone to go in front
To move quickly past someone or let a chance go by without acting
To move past a person or thing very close without stopping
To pass very quickly, as when a car goes by or time moves fast
Move past someone or something very quickly and smoothly
Antonyms
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to pass close to someone or something while moving quickly on foot' is directly compositional from 'run' (move quickly on foot) plus 'by' (past/close to). This verb + preposition pattern is a straightforward spatial combination common in English (and parallels exist in other languages), so a B1 learner knowing both words would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Run by comes from the simple picture of someone running past you. The parts run and by show moving on foot and going past, so run by means 'to pass close to someone or something'.