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Glite Dictionary
to run for

to run for

84 2.8
To last for a period of time
  • phrasal verb
  • /rʌn fɔr/
translation icon : durar
  • Again, I sold a serialization to eDiets.com, which ran for many months.
  • run for hours
  • run for years
  • run for weeks

Examples

  • For demonstration purposes, the system will only be run for short periods of time.

    Academic text (1995)

  • A normal program would run for five or seven days, with morning, afternoon, and evening sessions.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Better let it run for a while.

    Election (1999)

  • But the play was a disappointment, and it only ran for twelve performances.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Yeah, it runs for like a year, so I guess that's OK.

  • Each group met for ten 1.5-hour sessions that ran for nine days and one evening.

    Academic text (1992)

  • I've decided with your support that I'm gonna run for the district school board.

    Armageddon Time (2022)

  • The sample was comprised solely of participants who had signed up to run for a non-profit training group.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The experiment ran for a total of about 3,000 hours in 2002 and 2003.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The event will run for two hours, so make sure to arrive on time.

Synonyms

to run on
vsto run for
24 2.8

To keep going for longer than expected without stopping

lasts for a set period instead of exceeding expected time
running
vsto run for
1.0

Happening again and again over a period of time

lasts for a particular stated period rather than ongoing repetition

Antonyms

to end
∞ 1.0

To stop something or make it finish

stop
310 1.0

An act when something ends or pauses

How Long

to persist
61 3.5
to run for
84 2.8
to continue
227 1.1

Surface Forms

run for infinitive
running for present participle
runs for third person singular
ran for past
run for past participle

Morphology

run + for

The meaning 'to last or continue for a particular period' is directly derivable from 'run' in the sense 'to continue/operate' combined with 'for' which marks duration. This verb + preposition composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

Run for paints the picture of something that runs forward through time and the word for shows how long it goes. So, when a play 'runs for' three weeks, the phrase means 'to last' three weeks.