outrun
/ˈaʊtɹʌn/verb, noun
outrun is spelled O-U-T-R-U-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, outrun means “To run faster than” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in outrun?
| Letters | 6: O-U-T-R-U-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,418th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is outrun?
Outrun appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce outrun?
- /ˈaʊtɹʌn/
Outrun has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vanderdecken-outrun.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with outrun
Also written: out-run (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with outrun?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as outrun.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: runout.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of outrun
- outruns present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- outrunning participle, present
- outran past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does outrun mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To run faster than.
Can a tiger outrun a lion?
- 2
To exceed or overextend.
noun
- 1
In ski jumping, the flat or uphill area past the landing point, where the skier can slow down.
- 2
The sheepdog's initial run towards the sheep, done in a curving motion so as not to startle them.
- 3
ScotlandA piece of outlying grazing land on an arable farm.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Outrun in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | prendre de l'avance sur, distancer, prendre de vitesse, semer , dépasser |
| German | überholen |
| Portuguese | ultrapassar, exceder, superar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does outrun come from?
From out- + run.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).