run the gauntlet
run the gauntlet verb: to undergo a series of tests or challenges.
Verb
run the gauntlet (third-person singular simple present runs the gauntlet, present participle running the gauntlet, simple past ran the gauntlet, past participle run the gauntlet)
- To undergo a series of tests or challenges.
- Run the gauntlet north and south
March on up to the cannon's mouth
And say I can do any goddamn thing I want1985, J. G. Thirlwell, “Anything (Viva!)”, in Nail, performed by Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel
- Synonyms:
- pass the pikes
- Run the gauntlet north and south
Synonyms of run the gauntlet
Forms of run the gauntlet
| third-person singular present | runs the gauntlet |
|---|---|
| present participle | running the gauntlet |
| past | ran the gauntlet |
| past participle | run the gauntlet |
| alternative form | run the gantlet |
| alternative form | run the gantlope |
| alternative form | run the gauntlope |
Origin of run the gauntlet
From a corruption of run the gauntlope, run the gantelope. More at gantlope.
Questions about run the gauntlet
- What does run the gauntlet mean?
- Run the gauntlet means to undergo a series of tests or challenges.
- What part of speech is run the gauntlet?
- Run the gauntlet is a verb.
- What is the past tense of run the gauntlet?
- The past tense of run the gauntlet is ran the gauntlet.
Words near run the gauntlet in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: run the gauntlet (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.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-run the gauntlet.ogg.
Cite this entry: “run the gauntlet.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/run_the_gauntlet. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.