Word.ws English Dictionary

ran on

ran on is the simple past of run on.

Meaning of run on

Verb

run on (third-person singular simple present runs on, present participle running on, simple past ran on, past participle run on)

  1. (idiomatic) To continue without interruption
    • We can't afford for the performance to run on for more than the specified time.
  2. Using a certain time zone.
    • I was still running on daylight savings time.
  3. (idiomatic) To continue talking for a long time.
    • She ran on and wouldn't let anyone get a word in edgeways.
  4. To operate with a particular energy source.
    • This car runs on bio-alcohol.
  5. To make numerous drafts or demands for payment, as upon a bank.
    • Accordingly, depositors may run on a bank upon the receipt of adverse economic news that induces them to revise their assessment of a bank's soundness.2009, Heidi Mandanis Schooner, Michael W. Taylor, Global Bank Regulation: Principles and Policies, page 27
  6. (historical) To carry on or continue (e.g. the type for a new sentence) without making a break or commencing a new paragraph.

See all 9 meanings of run on

Questions about ran on

What is ran on the simple past of?
Ran on is the simple past of run on.

Words near ran on in the dictionary

  1. ran off at the mouth
  2. ran off on
  3. ran off one's mouth
  4. ran off the tongue
  5. ran off with
  6. ran on
  7. ran on empty
  8. ran on fumes
  9. ran one on
  10. ran one's face
  11. ran one's mouth

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: ran on (page history and authors); run on (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “ran on.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/ran_on. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.