run over

verb

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

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

The verdict

“run over” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To exceed the allotted time.

Corpus desk

Index EN-run-over · run over · English

run over · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "R" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

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

Long-tail rank of “run over” in English

run oversits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

run over is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for run over, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is run over, spelled R-U-N- -O-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To exceed the allotted time.
  2. 2
    To cross by running.
  3. 3
    To drive over, causing injury or death.
  4. 4
    To mistreat out of disregard.
  5. 5
    To describe briefly; to summarize or recapitulate; to go through or consider quickly.
  6. 6
    To rehearse quickly.
  7. 7
    To overflow.
  8. 8
    To score a try.
  9. 9
    To have rotation in such direction that the crank pin traverses the upper, or front, half of its path in the forward, or outward, stroke; said of a crank which drives, or is driven by, a reciprocating piece.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how run over appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The previous presentation ran over and ours had to start late.
  2. The athletes must run over the bridge to reach the finish line.

This word in other languages

arrollar(Español)renverser(Français)überziehen(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 over"?
"run over" is spelled R-U-N- -O-V-E-R.
What does "run over" mean?
As a verb, "run over" means: To exceed the allotted time.
What language does "run over" come from?
"run over" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list