run down

verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"run-down" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“run down” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To hit someone with a car or other vehicle and injure or kill them.

Key facts for run down
PropertyValue
Headwordrun down
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “run down” sits in English frequency

run down falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for run down is 8 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for run down, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct English form is run down, spelled R-U-N- -D-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To hit someone with a car or other vehicle and injure or kill them.
  2. 2
    To criticize someone or an organisation, often unfairly.
  3. 3
    To find something or someone after searching for a long time.
  4. 4
    To lose power slowly. Used for a machine, battery, or other powered device.
  5. 5
    To read quickly a list or other short text.
  6. 6
    To describe in the form of a rundown, a rough outline or summary.
  7. 7
    To reduce the size or stock levels of a business, often with a view to closure.
  8. 8
    To decline in quality or condition.
  9. 9
    To chase till the object pursued is captured or exhausted.
  10. 10
    To run against and sink, as a vessel.
  11. 11
    To crush; to overthrow; to overbear.
  12. 12
    To approach (someone, thing or place) aggressively, as to attack.
  13. 13
    To move (some copy) down to the next line.

Synonyms

run overknock downput downdemeanberatetrack down

This word in other languages

pelar(Español)heurter(Français)überfahren(Deutsch)atropelar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "run down"?
"run down" is spelled R-U-N- -D-O-W-N.
What does "run down" mean?
As a verb, "run down" means: To hit someone with a car or other vehicle and injure or kill them.
What language does "run down" come from?
"run down" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “run down”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-U-N- -D-O-W-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list