run·down
ˈrən-ˌdau̇n 
1
: an item-by-item report or review : summary
2
: a play in baseball in which a base runner who is caught off base is chased by two or more opposing players who throw the ball from one to another in an attempt to tag the runner out
ran down; run down; running down; runs down
1
a
: to collide with and knock down
b
: to run against and cause to sink
2
a
: to chase to exhaustion or until captured
b
: to trace the source of
c
: to tag out (a base runner) between bases on a rundown
3
1
: to cease to operate because of the exhaustion of motive power
the clock ran down
2
: to decline in physical condition or vigor
Synonyms
Noun
- abstract
- breviary
- brief
- capsule
- conspectus
- digest
- encapsulation
- epitome
- inventory
- outline
- précis
- recap
- recapitulation
- résumé
- resume
- resumé
- roundup
- run-through
- sum
- sum-up
- summa
- summarization
- summary
- summing-up
- synopsis
- wrap-up
Adjective
- beat-up
- bombed-out
- dilapidated
- dog-eared
- down-at-the-heels
- down-at-heel
- down-at-the-heel
- down-at-heels
- dumpy
- grungy
- mangy
- mean
- miserable
- moth-eaten
- neglected
- ratty
- scrubby
- scruffy
- seedy
- shabby
- sleazy
- tacky
- tatterdemalion
- tatty
- threadbare
- timeworn
- tumbledown
Verb
Examples of rundown in a Sentence
Noun
They gave us a rundown on the main points of the news.
a rundown of our public services
He was caught in a rundown.
Adjective
a run-down old house that really should be torn down
I'm afraid I'll be staying home today as I'm feeling run-down
Verb
finally ran down the answer after hours of research
constantly running down the city's cultural life won't do anything to improve it
Recent Examples on the Web
Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
The deck’s whopping 223-guidebook included a full personal and historical rundown of the concept of archetypes, which by now had Krans obsessed.
—Simone Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Newsletters Sign up for The Readout Your morning rundown of the science, politics, and money driving biotech today
Privacy Policy
For parents of boys with Duchenne, dystrophin is our white whale, the life-or-death imperative no parenting manual can prepare you for.
—Jennifer Handt, STAT, 22 Apr. 2024
And then dive into our rundown of the brightest spots on L.A.’s cultural landscape this week ...
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Tesla this week offered a slew of new information to investors ahead of its June annual shareholder meeting, including a rundown of various expenses that Elon Musk’s businesses billed each other.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 20 Apr. 2024
Here’s a rundown of the major methods being developed to hold back the AI image apocalypse.
—Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Before even being officially introduced — that would come the following morning — Snell sought out Martinez and pulled him aside for a 15-20 minute rundown in the dugout during the game that night.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
The rundown property where Horace made his fortune can be toured today, though visitors are prohibited from entering the mine shaft.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Eric Guzmán, Detroit Free Press, 4 May 2024
Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 3 May 2024
The other, half a mile away, was a fanciful, if run-down, turreted 64-room white clapboard confection.
—Penelope Green, New York Times, 2 May 2024
So in January 2020, the couple bought a run-down Cayucos motor lodge called the Dolphin Inn and then spent the next two and a half years transforming it.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
The unique nail-biter takes place in the shadows of L.A.’s homeless camps, run-down motels and dark alleys, following women who have turned — for various reasons — to a life of crime.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Inside was a seedy ’30s club supported by robust arches of stone, with run-down floorboards leading to arrangements of billiard tables and Thonet chairs.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2024
Take Shoreditch in east London as an example: Decades ago, developers deemed it a run-down industrial area.
—Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Until, that is, its restaurants started to get run-down and the menu didn’t adapt to the times.
—Gary Stern, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
Lines regularly ran down the block outside Upright Citizens Brigade.
—Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Ohio traffic cameras captured footage of drivers attempting to rescue a dog running down Interstate 670, officials say.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
The girl noticed Soto and ran down to tell the other teens.
—Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
In the footage of the game-winning shot, the 8-year-old son of Kardashian, 43, and Kanye West ran down the court before his teammate tossed him the ball at the three-point line.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
Denny Hamlin runs down Chase Elliott and takes the race lead!
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 7 Apr. 2024
Now someone has to run down in the elevator to get it.
—Thomas Germain / Gizmodo, Quartz, 1 Apr. 2024
Auburn’s starting wing was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected minutes into Auburn’s game against Yale for firing an elbow into the chest of August Mahoney while running down the sideline.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2024
Noun
Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big new singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more.
—Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
The deck’s whopping 223-guidebook included a full personal and historical rundown of the concept of archetypes, which by now had Krans obsessed.
—Simone Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Newsletters Sign up for The Readout Your morning rundown of the science, politics, and money driving biotech today
Privacy Policy
For parents of boys with Duchenne, dystrophin is our white whale, the life-or-death imperative no parenting manual can prepare you for.
—Jennifer Handt, STAT, 22 Apr. 2024
And then dive into our rundown of the brightest spots on L.A.’s cultural landscape this week ...
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Tesla this week offered a slew of new information to investors ahead of its June annual shareholder meeting, including a rundown of various expenses that Elon Musk’s businesses billed each other.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 20 Apr. 2024
Here’s a rundown of the major methods being developed to hold back the AI image apocalypse.
—Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Before even being officially introduced — that would come the following morning — Snell sought out Martinez and pulled him aside for a 15-20 minute rundown in the dugout during the game that night.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
The rundown property where Horace made his fortune can be toured today, though visitors are prohibited from entering the mine shaft.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Clark Park, in the heart of southwest Detroit, was in disrepair, with ruts in the baseball field, a run-down rec center and a decrepit ice rink.
—Eric Guzmán, Detroit Free Press, 4 May 2024
Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 3 May 2024
The other, half a mile away, was a fanciful, if run-down, turreted 64-room white clapboard confection.
—Penelope Green, New York Times, 2 May 2024
So in January 2020, the couple bought a run-down Cayucos motor lodge called the Dolphin Inn and then spent the next two and a half years transforming it.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
The unique nail-biter takes place in the shadows of L.A.’s homeless camps, run-down motels and dark alleys, following women who have turned — for various reasons — to a life of crime.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Inside was a seedy ’30s club supported by robust arches of stone, with run-down floorboards leading to arrangements of billiard tables and Thonet chairs.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2024
Take Shoreditch in east London as an example: Decades ago, developers deemed it a run-down industrial area.
—Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Until, that is, its restaurants started to get run-down and the menu didn’t adapt to the times.
—Gary Stern, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
The dress featured a white collar and bib detail with black buttons running down the front.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
Lines regularly ran down the block outside Upright Citizens Brigade.
—Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Ohio traffic cameras captured footage of drivers attempting to rescue a dog running down Interstate 670, officials say.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
The girl noticed Soto and ran down to tell the other teens.
—Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
In the footage of the game-winning shot, the 8-year-old son of Kardashian, 43, and Kanye West ran down the court before his teammate tossed him the ball at the three-point line.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
Denny Hamlin runs down Chase Elliott and takes the race lead!
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 7 Apr. 2024
Now someone has to run down in the elevator to get it.
—Thomas Germain / Gizmodo, Quartz, 1 Apr. 2024
Auburn’s starting wing was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected minutes into Auburn’s game against Yale for firing an elbow into the chest of August Mahoney while running down the sideline.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rundown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to rundown
Dictionary Entries Near rundown
Cite this Entry
“Rundown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rundown. Accessed 10 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rundown
1 of 3 noun
run·down
ˈrən-ˌdau̇n
: an item by item report : summary
run-down
2 of 3 adjectiveˈrən-ˈdau̇n
1
: being in poor condition
a run-down farm
2
: being in or indicating poor health
that run-down feeling
run down
3 of 3 verbˈrən-ˈdau̇n
1
: to collide with and knock down
2
a
: to chase until exhausted or captured
b
: to find by search : trace the source of
3
: to stop operating because of the exhaustion of an energy source
the battery ran down
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share