runner

noun44

1. •
   Agent noun of run; one who runs.
2. •
   someone who moves on foot faster than walking, often an athlete who takes part in races

   • The first runner to cross the finish line wins the race.
3. •
   A player who runs for a batsman who is too injured to run; he is dressed exactly as the injured batsman, and carries a bat.
4. •
   A baserunner.

   • The runner was out at second.
5. •
   a person or animal taking part in a contest, such as a horse entered in a race or a candidate in an election

   • The mare is the stables' runner for the 5.15 race at Epsom.
   • The judge said she would not be a runner in the upcoming elections.
6. •
   (slang) A competitor in a poker tournament.
7. •
   A mechanical part intended to guide or aid something else to move (using wheels or sliding).
8. •
   A smooth strip on which a sledge runs.
9. •
   The blade of an ice skate.
10. •
    The channel or strip on which a drawer is opened and closed.
11. •
    Part of a mechanism which allows something to be pulled out for maintenance.

    • Maintenance was simplified by making all components easily accessible and easy to remove: for example, the air compressors in the short nose slide out on runners. — 1962
12. •
    The curved base of a rocking chair.
13. •
    a metal harness ring that a rein passes through
14. •
    a channel that carries melted metal or plastic through a mold to the space where it hardens into shape
15. •
    The movable piece to which the ribs of an umbrella are attached.
16. •
    a long narrow covering laid along a table, a hall or stairs to decorate or protect the surface, usually made of cloth or carpet

    • The red runner makes the table so festive.
17. •
    A long, narrow carpet for a high-traffic area such as a hall or stairs.

    • Why don't we put down a clear runner in the front hall?
18. •
    (slang) A quick escape away from a scene; (by extension) the person who gets away.

    • He did a runner after robbing the drugstore.
19. •
    A person (from one or the other team) who runs out onto the field during the game to take verbal instructions from the coach to the players. A runner mustn't interfere with play, and may have to wear an identifying shirt to make clear his or her purpose on the field.
20. •
    a person whose job is to carry messages, documents or other things quickly from place to place, for example in an office or a restaurant

    • By 1963, Carmine was working as a "runner" for an accounting firm, and he would drop by 1619 Broadway to knock on doors in hopes of selling off some of his songs — 1990
21. •
    A restaurant employee responsible for taking food from the kitchens to the tables.

    • […] the chef can send a runner to see why not and if the waiter has forgotten about the order, a runner can cover and serve. — 1989
22. •
    An assistant.
23. •
    a long thin stem that a plant such as the strawberry sends out over the ground, with new plants forming at points along it
24. •
    [in compounds] a person or ship that smuggles goods such as guns or drugs, sometimes getting them through a blockade

    • The gunrunners were arrested leaving the airport.
25. •
    (Australia, Canada) a light shoe with a soft rubber sole, made for sports and often worn every day, also called a sneaker

    • Tess stands by Mr Foley in runners that are bright yellow and exuberant and off-putting. — 2023
26. •
    a plan or idea with a good chance of being accepted and carried out

    • This idea isn't a runner. Let's not waste any more time on it.
27. •
    (slang) a car that is in good enough condition to be driven, often an old or used one

    • The car salesman told me that the used Volvo was a nice little runner.
    • Is that old Mercedes on the forecourt a runner? / No, it has no gearbox.
28. •
    a person who escapes or leaves without permission, such as a prisoner who breaks out or a soldier who leaves the army
29. •
    a player who tries to finish a video game or a part of it as quickly as possible
30. •
    a fast-moving part of a machine

    • After the cycle completes, the runner travels back quickly to be in place for the next cycle.
31. •
    the millstone that turns in a mill, grinding grain against a second stone that stays still
32. •
    A person hired by a gambling establishment to locate potential customers and bring them in.
33. •
    (slang) An employee of a sports agent who tries to recruit possible player clients for the agent.
34. •
    a person in charge of a business, activity or system

    • […] at least half of which would be put into the pool for the winner, the rest kept for the runners of the system to cover costs and more than likely make a fair profit. — 1998
35. •
    a joke or funny situation that is repeated many times throughout a show or story
36. •
    a short loop of strong fabric with a carabiner at each end, used in climbing to join the rope to a bolt or other safety point
37. •
    Part of a shoe that is stitched to the bottom of the upper so it can be glued to the sole.
38. •
    (US, old-fashioned) a prisoner who is trusted and so given extra freedoms and jobs, also called a trusty

    • In our prisons you might find a condemned man working as a runner, a trusty, which is about as far from segregation as you can get. — 1959
39. •
    a rope passed through a pulley and joined to a tackle of ropes and pulleys so that the tackle pulls with more force
40. •
    (slang) A part of a cigarette that is burning unevenly.
41. •
    a long, fast fish of warm seas such as those around Florida, with blue and yellow stripes along its sides, caught for food
42. •
    a boat that takes fish, oysters or other seafood from fishing boats to market
43. •
    a very small stream

    • A runner, or streamlet, from other woods joined it at this end, and waited in the pool to pass through the grating to the mills. — 1927
44. •
    a tool that holds lenses firmly in place while they are polished